


Seduced by the Dark Sides

by The_WritersBlock



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders is a Little Shit, Kinda, M/M, Making Out, Remus is pretty suggestive in this one, Remus is so horny, Universe without Accepting Anxiety, big warning: Roman is extremely gay for Janus, but what's the difference honestly, no accepting of any dark side for that matter, nothing gets too serious, so if suggestive talk squicks you out I recommend not reading this
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-24
Updated: 2021-02-07
Packaged: 2021-03-03 08:09:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 25,125
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24347782
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_WritersBlock/pseuds/The_WritersBlock
Summary: Janus is out of plans. Despite he and the other dark sides' attempts, Thomas doesn't listen and the light sides don't really like them all that much....But what if they skipped the "like" part?What if the dark sides were to trick the light sides into falling in love with them? Maybe then, Thomas might allow them a seat at the table.Seducing the light sides, huh? Now *that* might be a plan.A fun one, too.(This is still being updated as of January 2021)
Relationships: Anxiety | Virgil Sanders/Morality | Patton Sanders, Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders/Deceit Sanders, Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders/Logic | Logan Sanders
Comments: 176
Kudos: 477
Collections: Ongoing Favourites





	1. A Plan is Made

Deceit wasn't necessarily a creative side. That was more Remus' style. No, Janus didn't really do much making of new substances, or mixing of dreams. 

Janus was more of a planner. Yes, a planner. He enjoyed slowly but surely weaving strings that would some day come together. He thought things over. He twisted thoughts around for hours or days before he ever decided to act on them. He very much liked the idea of laying the groundwork for something and having it pay off in some foreign future. Especially if it paid off in the form of Thomas listening to them for once.

Thomas didn't do much listening in general, but when he did decide to keep his ears open once in a blue moon, they were always open to the "light" sides. Janus rolled his eyes as he stared at the ceiling of his room. Who ever decided on that name? He and Remus and Virgil were all good sides, good people. They were just unfortunate enough to represent things that Thomas didn't… like much.

Janus turned over in his bed, feeling as if he were getting a little too hot underneath his blanket. He let the feeling pass, however, since kicking the blanket off now would only result in discomfort later. He pondered their situation some more.

While Deceit was quite alright with how the other sides saw him, Virgil sometimes felt anxious about his usefulness to Thomas because the Light sides didn't interact with him much. To make matters worse, Virgil also had a terrible crush on Patton that had never gone away no matter what Virgil wanted. And Remus, Remus just liked attention. But the Light sides always ignored or let his suggestions go. 

Janus sighed. That was probably Roman's fault. Mostly. 

His thoughts turned to Virgil again, and he felt his mood sour. While Remus' attention seeking got annoying sometimes, Virgil's want for affection and acceptance was truly a sore point for Janus. He tried to be a good friend to the anxious side, honestly, but Janus was never good at giving platonic affection. He could flirt his way into anything, that was for sure, but flirting wasn't going to get them out of the dark side of Thomas' mind.

For a moment, the thought bounced around in his head. Then the thought became a soft light, and an idea began to form. Janus slowly sat up in his bed, as if a movement too quick would make him lose hold of the something that was in his mind. He stared forward at the darkness of his room, mulling and shaping and twisting. He squinted, and the light beside his bed turned on. He lifted the covers, ignoring the cold, and rushed to his desk. 

This was no longer a time to wait. He had a plan. Or at least, he was making one.


	2. A Plan is Set in Motion

Virgil could smell their breakfast. The scent was sweet, full of flowers and sugary berries and love. He slipped out of his room like a cat, tip-toeing down the hall until he rounded the corner into the lighter part of Thomas. From here, the hallway was lined with bedrooms, (one of them Patton's) and it ended at the staircase that would go down into the living room and kitchen. 

Virgil let a small breath escape him. He kept his hand comfortably grounded on the wall, sliding along it as he went. The smell got stronger. It spurred him on. His pace was slow but steady, and the wonderful scent of the Light sides' breakfast made a warmth appear in his chest. He came to the edge of a cliff, the staircase, and his momentum ceased. 

Virgil closed his eyes. His nose tested the air again. His senses fooled him into thinking he was welcome to say hello to him, and he dipped his bare foot into the abyss. His eyes snapped open as his toe touched the carpeted stair step. What was he thinking?! He disappeared and reappeared behind the safety of the hallway corner. Virgil's heart thumped loudly from his previous proximity to the Sun. He took a deep breath in. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

"Are you ok, Virgil?" Virgil looked up to see Deceit standing next to the wall. He looked indecisive. He always acted this way when Virgil was even marginally anxious.

Virgil calmed his heart, running a hand through his hair, "Yeah. Just… just looking at. Uh, stuff." He glanced up at Janus again, eyes roaming over him. "Are you good? You look…" Virgil's gaze hung on Janus's ungloved hands. "...tired. Dead tired." Janus glanced at Remus' door, then back to Virgil. He walked over and hoisted Virgil to his feet, who dusted his pants off and put his hands into his hoodie pockets nonchalantly. "Wanting to talk about somethin', JDee?"

Janus clicked his tongue. Then he bit his lip, the gears in his head twisting, making last decisions. Finally, he met Virgil's eyes, "I have a plan to get the Light sides to accept us." His gloves were on his hands as he snapped, and both of them were in his room. "Before I tell Remus, I need your input on this, Virgil. This is brash. This is bold. This is the last chance for us." 

Janus's room began to disappear as Janus created an illusion. He created seven symbols, one for each side and Thomas. "I'm not going to sugar coat this. I've been up all night." As he spoke the symbol for Thomas moved to one side of the room, and the Dark side symbols to the opposite. "Since Thomas decided what type of person he wanted to be, it's been like this." The Light side symbols moved to be in between the Dark sides and Thomas. "Thomas chose these three to be a part of his core personality, and though we are an essential part of him, he doesn't trust us to give him any input because it's usually not what he wants to hear." Janus gestured to the image, and it changed so that the Light sides were now circling Thomas slowly. "While Thomas is an amazing person and we have done all we can to make him great, no one is perfect." He pointed to the circle of the Light sides around Thomas. "Look at the gaps they're leaving. They're doing the best they can but soon enough they're going to come upon a problem that they cannot solve alone." The circle broke, and all the side's symbols disintegrated. 

"That's why they need us." Janus waved his hand, and the Dark and Light symbols came together around Thomas, closing the gaps and creating a symmetrical circle. 

Virgil's stared at the symbols as they spun in harmony. "You've told me this before Dee. And believe me," Virgil chuckled, "it's done wonders for my self esteem. But we've never been able to get through to Thomas that we're needed like the others are."

Janus grinned, it seemed as though he was being possessed by a mad energy. "Thomas will accept us if the Light sides lead by example." He changed the image. Now just the three Light symbols hung in the air. He opened his palm and his double-headed symbol appeared in his hand. He tossed it lightly, and it floated over to Roman's. "I'd handle Roman. He would probably be the first to see through what we were doing. He is the romantic side after all. But with enough sappy situations and a little… pulling of strings… I'd have him thoroughly smitten."

Virgil's symbol was next, and Janus guided it next to Patton's. "Patton is kind. He is already so affectionate, and I know for a fact that he likes you Virgil. A lot."

Virgil studied the image with a puzzled, suspicious eye. "So you're saying-"

The door burst open, cutting Virgil off. "He's saying that I finally get to knock up that sexy nerd!" Remus let out a giggle of excitement, running into the room and blowing a kiss at Logan's symbol. From his hand, Remus' own symbol materialized and joined Logan's in the air. 

Janus rolled his eyes, "He has the gist of it." 

Virgil looked back between the illusion and Janus as the full extent of the plan came to him. "So we're going to..." He paused, unable to finish as his cheeks went hot.

"We're going to attempt to flirt and possibly seduce them, yes." Janus's voice was steady, but his face had turned bright red even in the darkness of his room. "To get them to accept us and let us into Thomas' inner circle."

Virgil let a smile come to his lips as he looked at Patton's symbol, "So I- I can finally…"

"You can get Mr. Dad to call you Daddy~" Remus practically cackled, falling onto Janus's bed as the illusion dissipated. His feet kicked the air as he covered his eyes with his arm, his chest heaving with laughter. 

Virgil looked at Janus, his smile becoming brighter as he thought of Patton, "Are we actually doing this? For real?" Janus stared off into space for a moment, letting the cogs in his thoughts settle. He nodded with an air of finality and decisiveness that could not be disobeyed.

"Yes. Yes we are."

Remus' eyes twinkled. "Then let's show 'em our good sides."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The setup is officially complete. Next chapters will be far longer.


	3. 2/3rds of a Starting Point

The dragon witch really wasn't all that bad. She was an incredible actor, and a real stickler for a good scene. Her love of theater and dramatics was precisely why she attempted to get on Roman's nerves so much. He always put on a great show, and whether he knew it or not, the dragon witch was thrilled when he dashed in at the last moment, foiling her "scheme" or "evil plan". She thought herself quite a thespian at this point, having done countless "evil acts" that never failed to bring Roman in, hook line and sinker. 

So when Janus told her of the Dark side's plan, she was more than delighted and desperately begged Janus to let her be a part of it.

"The drama! The passion! This is a deception unlike any I have been a part of before. Janus you simply must let me join in on the fun!" 

Janus coyly sipped on his tea, "I don't know…" He sighed loudly, staring off into the boundless imagination. "How could you get his attention on _me?_ He needs to fall for me for real, you know." He looked down into his teacup, at his reflection. "What can you do to make me desirable? I am scarred, _hideous_ even." 

The dragon witch gasped "Do not say such a thing! We are reptilian brethren and I will not let you bemoan your glossy scales!" She turned on her heel, diving into a pile of props and costumes that she had used during her "fights" with Roman. She emerged with several costumes and a hand mirror, shoving it into Janus's grip, "Look. You are cunning and handsome and sly! Once I am done with this new drama he will have no choice but to fall hopelessly in love with you!" 

She picked up parchment and a quill, hoisting it towards the sky as her voice boomed and somewhere, thunder crashed, "Your romance will be LEGENDARY!!!"

Janus sipped on his tea, trying desperately to hide his grin.

\----------

While Remus did rely on dramatic acts of his own, he was much less subtle while going about it. He had barely formed a plan before he found himself in Logan's room. Logan glanced up from his work on his desk, his lips pursed and his brow furrowed. 

"Do you require anything?" He set his pen down as he turned in his chair.

Remus winked, "Just you, teach!" 

Logan remained stone faced. "Ah. You require that someone listen to your ideas." He picked up his pen and began to work again. "You may continue. Please tell me everything so that you can get it out of your system and Thomas's thought processes can get back to business." Remus crossed the room, stopping behind Logan's chair. Logan's eyes shifted slightly, but he kept working. Remus bent over his shoulder, watching Logan's hand movements. "Do you not have any intrusive thoughts you wish to share-"

Before Logan could finish, Remus spun his chair around and grabbed his tie, pulling them close together. "I have one." He leaned down to whisper in Logan's ear. "You're in love with me." Logan froze, his heart rate rising as his mouth went dry.

"I… beg your pardon?" His face was heating rapidly.

"You heard me~" Remus bent lower, breathing in deeply near Logan's neck. "You're in love with me!" He shrugged. "Well. Not yet."

Logan tried to speak but all that came out was a strangled "Uh-" Remus laughed, pulling away but keeping a hold on Logan by his tie. 

"Can't wait to see how _all of you_ looks, Teach." He ran a hand behind Logan's neck and down his back.

"Rem-ah!-" Logan tried to speak again but the sudden feeling made him jump.

"Duke got your tongue?" Remus let go of his tie, his fingers brushing along Logan's jawline. "Remember~ You're going to fall in love with me!" Remus practically sang it as he spun Logan around in his chair. He pranced out the door, winking and blowing a kiss on his way out.

Logan stared at the closed door. His mouth was dry, he found. 

"What... in the world…?" Logan felt his breathing slow and his temperature go back to normal, but no matter what he did he seemed to have the thought stuck in his head. He felt a tight grip on his tie, hot breath on his neck, and then his hair would stand on end and he would grumble in annoyance.

He would get nothing done for the rest of the morning.

\----------

Generally, while the Sides always ate a formal breakfast and dinner together, lunch was more spread out. Sometimes Logan would dart in for a Peanut Butter and Crofters sandwich, other times Roman would steal one of Patton's sweets before sinking back into the imagination. Patton was currently snacking on the batter he was using to make brownies. 

He wasn't actually a good cook, per say, he was more of a baker. Anything that wasn't supposed to turn out sweet in the end always seemed to cook poorly. He tried his best, but whatever meatloaf he had been making somehow turned into the sugariest cake that ever sugared. Most of the time, Roman would whip up breakfast and dinner. He had the best mind for it. On occasion, Logan would take up cooking duty if he was yearning for something specific.

Patton opened the oven _again_. The brownies were still very much liquid. He pouted, pushing the pan deeper into the heat before closing the door. He slipped off the oven mitts, placed them on the stove, then turned around to begin cleaning up. Patton found that the refrigerator door was open, blocking off the entrance to the kitchen. He shrugged, bumped the door with his hip to close it, and let out a high pitched yelp. 

Virgil, unknown to Patton, had been standing in the doorway. Virgil raised a hand, waving a bit.

"S-sorry there, uh, kiddo." Patton tried to calm his heart but it stubbornly kept beating faster. "Didn't… didn't see you there." He turned away quickly to hide the redness that made his cheeks rosier than usual. Whether it was from embarrassment or… something else, Patton didn't know.

"S'ok. I'm just, um, uh, getting something." Virgil panicked slightly. This was not going how he planned. "To eat. Yeah." It was easy to call yourself a flirt in private, when you are thinking of all the times you get under Roman's feathers, but when it was real life? When it was Patton? Shit. Virgil thought. This was going to be harder than Janus made it out to be. 

Patton began to put away the sugar and flour in the cupboard, "Well we've got some leftovers from dinner last night, do you want me to warm them up?" Virgil temporarily forgot himself. He couldn't take his eyes off of Patton's curly hair, his freckled face, and wide, toothy smile. 

Realizing he hadn't responded, Virgil quickly yelled, "No!" Patton jumped, and Virgil corrected himself as he snapped out of his love-induced stupor, "I mean, no thanks." Virgil began to slide out of the room, backing towards the kitchen doorway. "I'm, I'm actually not as hungry anymore and I just remembered that I have snacks in my room and I-, um, yeah." 

Patton turned, "Wait-, Kiddo-!" He slipped, then his foot caught on a small rise in the rug. Patton gasped at the sudden weightlessness, and then his vision was blocked by dark purple. 

He had been caught.

Virgil's body radiated safety and heat, and to Patton's surprise, he smelled like warm vanilla. Patton felt Virgil lift him to his feet. His hands were resting on Virgil's shoulders, which were unexpectedly stronger and more defined than he expected. Patton took in a surprised breath as his face flushed horribly. And then the moment ended, far too soon for Patton's liking. Virgil stepped back.

"S-sorry!" Virgil sank out with a stutter. Patton reached out into the empty air, frozen. Could he still smell the vanilla? Or was that just his imagination? He found that his heart was still in his throat, beating faster than it was supposed to. He tried to be angry with his feelings, giving them a scolding as he bent down to check the brownies again. 

But his emotions would not be deterred. They sang and danced and giggled and flapped their hands, thinking of some dark knight in armor that gleamed violet under the moonlight.

He pretended that the redness to his face was caused by the heat of the oven.

\----------

Dinner that night consisted of much silence, sprinkled in with something delicious that Roman had made. Logan would have asked where Roman had gotten the recipe, but he had been… distracted… that day. 

Patton's face was still red.

He glanced up at Roman, who didn't seem to notice the silence or Patton's flushed cheeks. Patton looked down at his plate, chewing on his lip instead of his food. "Hey… Roman?" The prince looked up. "Do you think that I'm… handsome?"

Roman laughed, "We're all handsome, Padré!" He stuffed a large piece of some kind of vegetable into his mouth, then elected to talk over it instead of chewing, "Except for the walking garbage can that is Remus! Ha!" Roman laughed and swallowed his food. "The moustache does not do my brother any favors in the beauty department." He brushed over his statement flippantly while Logan stiffened in his seat. "Why do you ask?"

Logan stared at the wood grain patterns in the table as the other two babbled on. He felt a phantom tightness around his throat, or maybe in it, he couldn't tell. A heat came down from his neck, filling up his body and making the tips of his fingers tingle as if they were running through a coarse fabric.

_You're going to fall-_

Logan stood up abruptly, bumping the table roughly. "I, um." The words that came out of his mouth were breathy. He needed to steady his heart rate. He made a sound trying to clear his throat. But his throat didn't comply. "I am going to consume this in my room." He snatched up his plate and began to walk briskly towards the stairs.

Patton called after him, "Logan? But-"

He tried again to clear his throat. He was out of breath. "I, huh, I need to begin- wh- Thomas' schedule." He bounded up the stairs two at a time, calling behind him, "Goodnight to you both!"

Patton shrugged, turning to Roman, "You know how he is with the timing of everything."

Roman, mouth full of food, "Iw'll shay!"

\----------

The Dark sides convened in Janus's room. 

"What is our progress for today?" Janus sat at his desk. Virgil was laying on Janus's bed, while Remus was hanging upside down off of a bookshelf in the corner. 

Virgil spoke quietly, "I caught Patton today…"

Janus furrowed his brow. "Caught him?"

Virgil shrugged, staring at the ceiling as his heart sped up, "I dunno, he seemed to like it." Janus nodded, wisely deciding that Virgil had it under control, before turning to Remus.

"Don't worry about me, Dee! I'll be in his pants by the end of this week." Remus' smile grew wider at the thought. 

Janus sighed, "Thank you for that image." He addressed both of them now, "I had to make some preparations today, but I'll make up for it with big progress tomorrow." He hummed in thought, "Which reminds me, I probably won't be back till very very late." He held up a hand to silence Remus, who was about to cut in with something suggestive, probably. "Mind out of the gutter, please." Despite trying to be serious, Janus began to grin, "Although… you can never know with Roman. He may try to propose considering what all I have planned…" 

Remus let out a bark of laughter, and Janus joined in, although with considerably less gumption. 

Virgil chuckled. He was really starting to get behind this plan. 


	4. Roman and... Villains

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updates may be a little slow, but that's just how it goes sometimes. Hope y'all have lovely days, and please stay safe from everything that is happening right now.

It wasn't a true adventure until Roman had fought a villain or a monster. At least, that's how he saw it. What good did it do him if the imagination mimicked real life, with the boringness of it all? No. Roman's realm needed giant creatures, towering cities in the clouds, and a good, large helping of drama that couldn't conceivably exist in the real world. 

While he was most certainly going to find something to fight later, Roman currently felt like walking and talking with some of the townspeople in his kingdom. He was walking along with a few of the children in an outskirts village when he saw him.

Janus was wearing a pitch black tunic with a white undershirt underneath. His typical bowler hat had been replaced with a wide brimmed affair that was embellished with an ornate feather. He had a pair of tight black adventurer's pants with knee-high boots that matched. To complete it, his cape had shifted to be longer and was thrown over one shoulder, and his gloves had turned into leather gauntlets. The last thing Roman noticed was the sword, which was attached to a belt that hung loosely on his hips. The Dark side was laid out on the edge of a fountain, his scales pointed towards the sun. One of his hands, gloveless, lazily painted circles in the clear water. 

To say that Roman was momentarily breathless would be an understatement. He was a romantic! Sue him! He couldn't help the lovey-dovey part of him from swelling up and thumping at his chest. 

"I  _ beg _ you to take a picture, Roman." Janus's eyes pulled the rest of his face with them as they locked into Roman. "I didn't know that Princes were apt to drool over every man dressed in period clothing."

Roman sputtered, putting a hand on his sword in an attempt to be threatening, "Well, um, yeah, what are you doing in my kingdom, Deceit?!"

Janus sighed, pulling his glove over his hand and gliding to his feet. "Last I heard, it was  _ Thomas' _ imagination. Didn't think it belonged to you." Janus adjusted his outfit, throwing his hip out, "And to answer your question, Thomas barely ever goes outside. How's an animal like me ever going to get any sun?" Roman barely had enough time to register the way Janus's belt cinched his waist before he called himself an Animal, and then Roman was suddenly feeling hotter than he should on a spring day like this. 

But the answer was sufficient, and Roman let go of his sword. "How long are you planning on staying?" 

Janus scoffed, "Oh I'm sorry, your Lordship! Have I overstayed my welcome on holy ground? It's simply my mistake that I require the sun to live." He rolled his eyes and walked past Roman, his cape swaying in the breeze. Then he looked around curiously, as if he had only just now seen his surroundings, “Do these… people… know that they’re not real?"

Roman gasped, putting an offended hand to his chest. "Of course they're real! Just as real as you and I!" 

Janus hummed, "That was an oxymoron." He adjusted his gloves as he walked. "Are you going to show me around, or what?" He turned halfway to give the other side a smirk, snake eye glinting in the shade under his hat. For a moment Roman thought he looked remarkably devilish. His pulse spiked.

"Y-yes! Why wouldn't I give my guest a tour of the land?" Roman led the way, pointing out different shops or adding flavor to the scenery. As they approached the outskirts of town, Roman led them over to a guard station.

A soldier saluted them, albeit before giving Janus a cautionary glance, and spoke to Roman, "A fine day for sparring, my Prince! We've been taking advantage of the fine weather to train some new recruits." He looked over his shoulder and both sides followed his gaze. Just behind the guard tower was a ring made out of fences. Two young looking men were lunging at each other with swords, while a more senior guard looked on. Every now and then, the guard would stop the match to adjust their footing, or reiterate how to hold the sword properly. Then, she would tell them to begin again, and the cycle continued.

Roman smiled, "Looks like it's going well!" 

The guard glanced down at Janus's sword, "It would go better if you could show them a few things. It's always nice when they see what great swordsmen they can become." His eyes swept over Janus's outfit, then at the scales that adorned half his face. "Maybe you and your… friend here can-"

Janus cut him off, "Oh, no. I shouldn't."

Roman unconsciously rolled his shoulders at the mention of a fight, "How about it? It could be fun!" Roman startled at what he was saying, what he was proposing. Did he just say it could be 'fun' to actually fight Janus? Did he just give a Dark side an opening to literally stab him?! He couldn't believe he had gotten this far without remembering who he was actually talking to. Must have been the imagination getting to him.

"Maybe… some other time." Janus's words startled Roman out of his thoughts. The Dark side took in the image of the training ring for a moment longer, filing it away for a later date, then came back to the present with Roman. "While this has been fun, I think I better take my leave." He bowed, flourishing his cape. Roman felt his heart flutter with the gesture. Janus opened his mouth to say something when he stood straight again, but his eyes caught on something in the distance. He raised a hand, blocking out the sun with his fingers to see the horizon better.

Roman copied the gesture, frowning at the sight of a lone rider on horseback. The red cape and shiny armor gave away his position as a part of Roman's personal guards of the palace. The rider and his horse slid to a stop in front of them. The guard practically fell off of the animal, kneeling in front of Roman as his chest heaved in huge gulps of air.

"At ease. Do you have news?" Roman helped him to his feet.

The guard squinted in pain, holding a hand to his side as he nodded, "Your Highness, the dragon witch attacked the royal village. She took her true form and burnt the stables to the ground trying to find you."

Roman frowned, "Was anyone hurt?" 

The guard shook his head, still quite out of breath, "Miraculously, no. All of the animals were grazing and the stable hands were out exercising the royal horses. We evacuated the city, but she-" The soldier was drowned out by a mighty roar that made the ground shake. All who were present turned to see smoke staining the sky black. A dark shape cast a humongous shadow on the clouds, blocking out the midday sun. 

The dragon witch burst through the canopy of wispy white, smoke and fire already flickering on her hide. The flames engulfed most of her body, dripping from her gaping mouth and scorching the earth at her feet. She carried a massive staff in one of her mighty claws, which was being circled by its own thunderstorm conjured by the crystal ball on the head. Right on cue, she sent a bolt of white hot lightning from the storm straight at the guard post. 

The frightening force of nature decimated the base of the tower, causing it to topple slowly towards the small gathering of Sides and warriors. Roman barely had time to process what was happening before he was tackled out of the way by Janus. Roman felt his chest empty as the breath got knocked out of him. All he could see was Janus's pitch black tunic. Then, light! 

Janus stood up, throwing his cape fully behind him and drawing his sword. Roman saw the whole thing in slow motion, his eyes stuck on Janus like he was a magnet. Oh, _ goodness. _ Janus's eyes were as sharp as thorns. The mixed light from the sun peaking through the smoak and the lightning crackling in the thunderstorm gave his face a strange glow that reflected off of his scales. Some of the light made them opalescent, shifting colors as they hit at different angles. The Dark side began to walk forward slowly, and despite the circumstances Roman couldn't help but notice the sway to his hips as he yelled to the dragon witch, 

"Did you have to kill my exit? I was planning on having a nice day all to myself but now you've ruined my mood." He sighed dramatically, admiring the shine to his gloves as if he were disinterested in the whole situation. Roman finally gasped in a breath, but it was short and shallow. He still felt like his brain was lacking oxygen, because his eyes were playing tricks on him. Janus looked… 

The dragon witch, almost giddy, stopped her assault, "Janus?! Ohmigosh! We're reptile pals!" She began to lose her shape, dark purple smoke surrounding the mighty form. Roman was helped to his feet by multiple guards before the smoke cleared, and the dragon witch was in her human form. She waved at Janus, pointing to her horns. "See? We're practically twins!!" 

Before Janus could confirm or deny, Roman scrambled to step in front of him, "You two are nothing alike." He drew his sword. In response, the dragon witch pulled out her staff, human sized this time, and waved it in the air lazily.

"Shouldn't you be off somewhere being fed grapes by one of your shirtless male concubines?" She snickered at her own joke, giggling as Roman's face went red.

"I don't have-!" As if just remembering Janus, he turned around to plead with him, "I-...I don't have concubines! I promise!"

Janus raised an eyebrow, smirking, "I never said you did." His look made Roman flush even more.

"Dec~eeeiiitt~! Come ooooonnn. Why are you on his side? Don't the Light sides think your kind is evil?" The witch rested her chin on her staff, cocking her head.

Roman twisted between Janus and her, "That's preposterous! We-"

The dragon witch interrupted gleefully, "And ugly, too! Right? They think those scales of yours are hideous, huh?!" 

Janus looked away, placing a hand on the scaled side of his face, "Well, it is true that no one has ever expressed the opposite…" He met Roman's eyes for a moment, then looked away again.

Roman felt as if water were slipping through his fingers, "Wait- Janus-"

"-So why hang out with them? I promise that we could have loads of fun!" She clasped her hands together, grinning wide as she pleaded. "Please, please, please?"

"Hey-!" Roman's insides twisted.

Janus scoffed at her, "Well you did just insult me. Besides. I have better things to do than play around with some figment that thinks she's _all_ _that_." He sheathed his sword, crossing his arms over his chest.

The dragon witch began to throw a tantrum. "Roman I know you did this! You got some wizard or fairy to curse Janus to betray his reptile brethren!!" She raised her staff, crystal ball pointed at the Dark side. "I've gotta break the spell, Janus. You're coming with me!"

Roman practically growled, surprising himself as he spoke, "You're not taking him anywhere! I forbid it!"

She frowned, eyes lighting up with white-hot light. "Well luckily, I don't need your permission." She lifted her arm, and mimed as if she were yanking an invisible rope toward her body. A gust of wind thrust Janus into the air, causing him to yelp in surprise. Roman gasped as Janus was then thrown into the witch's clutches. She laughed at his expression, and the last thing Roman saw was Janus's wide eyes and a bright light before they teleported away.


	5. Accidental and On Purpose

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey again, y'all. Went on a bit of an unintended hiatus. What can I say, except that college apps are stressful. But hey, luckily I've been accepted and have a bit more time on my hands before I get a new job. Lets see if I can't spoil y'all with more story. You guys stay safe, now, ok?

Logan was having complications. 

Certainly not with Remus, that was for sure! No, no, no, Logan was having trouble with the schedule. That's definitely what it was. Yeah. Remus totally hadn't barged in twice that day, tugged on his tie, or sat on his lap. Nope. 

He pursed his lips in frustration as his mind went blank again. For some reason, Logan's thoughts were flighty that day. They jumped to other subjects like grasshoppers jumped to… ugh. He couldn't even think of a good analogy to describe how all over the place his thoughts were! 

...What week was Thomas going to be filming again? When no answer came to mind, he decided he had had enough.

"That is it." Logan stood up from his desk. He tossed his pen back down to the table and walked out of the room. A snack is all he needed. Then he would be back on full power again. He took care to stretch his legs a bit as he went down the stairs. It would do him no good if he got cramped. A healthy side made a healthy Thomas.

He absentmindedly checked his watch as he approached the kitchen. Yikes. His dilly dallying brain had wasted a large portion of the morning. Better take his snack on the road. He steered off to the left, deciding against a full pb&j sandwich since it could drip onto the calendar. 

Logan opened the walk-in pantry and stepped inside. He clicked on the light and started rummaging around for some crackers or trail mix or… something. 

The pantry door closed. Logan felt a presence.

Then Remus laughed, "Didn't know I'd catch you in here, nerd." 

Logan spoke carefully. Already his neck was hot. "Y-you didn't catch me in anything. I don't know what you're talking about." He spun around, trying to catch Remus off balance. He reached for the door handle but Remus caught his wrist, rotating him another 180° so that Logan's back was to the door. 

Remus pinned Logan's other wrist, then glanced down at his rapidly reddening face. "Hmm. Kinky!" Logan didn't struggle. Somehow, this was scary and hot at the same time. Remus glanced further down at Logan's tie, then up at his neck. "You should wear it loose. I like it that way." He released Logan's wrists, but they stayed where they were. Logan was now as red as a firetruck. Remus undid Logan's tie.

"Why are y-mph!" He tried to speak but Remus put a finger to Logan's lips. 

He grabbed both sides of Logan's tie, bringing them closer together, "Don't make me shut you up. Remember! You're falling first, so you have to kiss me first~" He glanced down at Logan's lips as he spoke, then up to Logan's eyes again. "It's always so tempting, though~" He winked, then brought his hands down to Logan's waist. Remus untucked his shirt in the blink of an eye, then slipped his hands up to Logan's chest, which made the Light side jolt.

"H-hey-!" Logan finally brought his wrists out of the humiliating position, breaking out of the imaginary spell and pulling away from Remus. "W-what are you attempting to accomplish here?" Remus sighed, biting his lip at the sight of flustered Logan, but staying silent. Logan frowned. "Stop that." Remus' eyes fluttered down, giving Logan a once-over. Logan became even more embarrassed. "Remus-! I- …What has caused this completely abnormal behavior?!" 

Remus finally spoke, "I'd always thought you were sexy, Logan…" He sauntered past the other side, opening the pantry door with a smirk, "...Janus just gave me the go ahead to finally pounce on who I'd claimed as mine." He flashed a real smile, toothy and wide, "Ta ta, nerd. Remember, you're going to fall in love with meeeee~" then, he closed the door behind him. 

Logan, despite it being a full minute since Remus had let go of him, was still breathing hard. He laid his head back onto the door, chest tingling. Whether it was from the lack of oxygen or the phantom touch of Remus' hand, Logan didn't know. He shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. He had to find out what was going on. Before Remus' prophecy came true.

\----------

Soon enough the day was over. Virgil and Remus had had a brief meeting, since Janus was still in the imagination "dicking down Roman" as Remus called it. They had gone over their day's work, in unfortunate detail thanks to the Creative side, and Virgil felt as if he hadn't done anything at all to further their plan. Probably due to the fact that that was the truth.

He and Patton's previous encounter was entirely by chance. He certainly hadn't orchestrated anything grand like Janus or Remus. It was just an ordinary scenario that Virgil had just happened to benefit from. His cheeks dusted pink when he thought of Patton so close to him. 

Virgil sighed, there would be no sleep for a while. Might as well use it as a brainstorming session. He pulled on a pair of pajama pants and draped a blanket over his chilly shoulders. He opened his door as softly as he could, glanced down the hallway, and then was off. He glided around the corner and past the light sides hallway, eyes straying on Patton's door for a bit longer than necessary, before creeping down the stairs.

The living room was dark and silent. A few beams of moonlight filtered through the blinds, casting a glow upon the walls. Virgil pulled the blinds open entirely, letting the soft blue light fill the room. He pulled his hand upwards from the floor, summoning his phone and earbuds. He started a Disney playlist from the beginning, and calmed as he felt Princess classics fill his ears.

He stood there in the stillness of the living room, looking out the window. 

Virgil blinked. The hairs on the back of his neck stood.

His senses were telling him that the living room wasn't quite as still or empty as he first thought. The muscles in him went taught with anxious energy. He couldn't help his heart from getting away from him in the moment, but then Virgil remembered he was in a safe place. The mind palace may be dark, but it was completely harmless. He let out a little sigh to release the nervous energy as he turned around.

NOT HARMLESS!! NOT HARMLESS!

The breath froze in his throat as he saw the silhouette of Patton illuminated by the window. He wasn't wearing glasses, Virgil's unhelpful mind supplied. Patton was also cocooned in a fluffy blanket, head cocked to the side as he looked at Virgil with foggy eyes. He swayed a little.

"Ah." He yawned out the sound, swaying so far that Virgil thought Patton would topple over. "Don't mind me, V- I mean, kiddo. Just dreaming, is all." He yawned again. "Been… sleepwalking…" His eyes closed, head head hanging loosely on his shoulders. Then, he shook himself "awake" again. He chuckled softly. "You're shirtless Virgil...kiddo..."

Virgil bashfully pulled his blanket tighter, "Uhm. Patton, this isn't-"

"Hey-" Patton shuffled with incredible groggy accuracy and speed, basically falling into Virgil as he took his hands. "...dream Virgil? Can you stop being… here?" 

"Patton-"

Patton slid his palm over Virgil's mouth, staring at Virgil's face through half-lidded eyes. "I don't want you to... be here anymore…" He paused, "...kiddo." He leaned farther into Virgil. "Real Virgil is just… far away, and- and he doesn't see me as anything other than-...than-" He froze. This pause was longer. Patton seemed to relax, though his hand stayed on Virgil's mouth. He looked at Virgil's eyes. "You're just…" Patton removed his hand slowly and placed it on the back of Virgil's head. "...wishful thinking."

He tugged with a strength that Virgil wasn't prepared for and suddenly their lips met. Virgil burned from embarrassment at his crush. Patton was kissing him!- Virgil gasped as his thinking caught up with him. -But he wasn't awake to consent to it! Virgil panicked, for fear of being a creep, jolted backwards, and sank out of the room without an ounce of grace or composure.

Patton started. Had something just happened? His tired brain told him yes, something big. He yawned. Shook his head. He moved to leave the room but his foot brushed against something on the floor. It was a blanket. He yawned again as he picked it up and added it to the mound of fluff already on his body. Then, he headed to his room.

Soon enough he was wrapped up in a multi-layered comfort burrito, and Patton fell asleep surprisingly easily.


	6. Snake in Distress

"My Prince! Prince Roman! Where are you?!" The dragon witch's spell had kicked up smoke and dust, filling the air and creating a cloud that no one could see through. Roman heard his guards frantically searching their surroundings as they called for him.

"I-I'm fine! Retreat to the village and make sure everyone is uninjured!" Roman squinted through the cloudy air, sheathing his sword as he found the spot where the witch had been. The ground was scorched, blackened in a pattern that resembled a star.

But there was no Janus.

He scolded himself, kicking the ground angrily. Roman didn't know what he expected to find. He had seen them disappear with his own eyes. His frown deepened as he realized what this meant. 

He would have to go save Janus from the dragon witch's castle. 

Despite her heavy use of theatrics, she really was a competent spell caster and knew a great deal of ways to get people to do what she wanted. Roman followed his guards into the village as he thought, chewing on the inside of his lip. By the time he got a guard detail together and on the trail, the dragon witch would have already cast any number of enchantments on Janus! Roman made up his mind as he opened the stable doors. He needed to get out to her fortress fast. Which meant he was going alone. 

He saddled his horse and barged full speed out of the stable, down the main street, and past the town gates. He spurred on his horse, petting its mane as he spoke to it, "Come on, I know you can do it…" They traveled for nearly an hour, the mid-afternoon sun conjuring watery shapes on the horizon. 

\----------

Janus sighed. "Is this _really_ necessary?" The dragon witch huffed, nodding her head exasperatedly as she adjusted the chains surrounding Janus.

"Yes! Believe me, I've done this before!" She snapped her fingers, and another chain appeared in her hand. Janus groaned. She shushed him as she fastened it loosely around his wrists. "Listen. This plan won't work if we aren't working the "damsel in distress" angle enough! If you don't look like you're in distress, then Roman won't buy it!!" 

Janus rolled his eyes. "Do they need to be so uncomfortable, though?" 

The dragon witch laughed, "Oh honey, no." She touched one of the chains with her pointer finger and one by one, the cold links of metal began to feel soft and warm. "Many princesses have told me they're actually quite comfy!" She paused, "To Prince Dumbass, though, they'll look and feel like normal chains." 

Janus nodded his approval. "You know the script?" 

She almost looked offended, "Do I know the script?!! Snakey Babes, I'm a certified pro at this. I'm a _professional_ ! The only person who we should worry about forgetting anything is you!" She scoffed as she stood up to admire her handiwork. " _Do I know the script?_ Hmph." She tilted her head to the side, her annoyance seemingly gone, "Hmm... I should probably give you another glamour. I know the spell already looks perfect but there's nothing wrong with final touches!" The witch waved her hand in the air in front of Janus's face. "Yep! That should-"

"Foul dragon witch!!" A voice echoed from outside the lair. It seemed like Roman had arrived. 

The dragon witch winked in a silent message, before grabbing her staff and disappearing in a puff of purple smoke.

Now, all Janus had to do was wait. 

\----------

Roman slid off his horse and drew his sword from its scabbard. He approached the entrance of the dragon witch's cave, eyes scanning the walls and floors for traps. The layout of her lair always changed. Sometimes it was a mighty castle, other times it was a simple hole in the ground disguised by bushes. 

This time, it was dark. Very dark.

Roman paced steadily onward, despite the increased shadows of the approaching sundown. Soon enough he saw light at the end of the tunnel he was in. As he approached, Roman saw that the narrow space expanded into a great hall of sorts, with torches decorating the high black walls. He heard a chilling laugh as he exited the tunnel.

"Finally come to rescue him, Roman?" The dragon witch was seated precariously on a large throne that was on the far side of the hall, balancing a dagger on her finger. In her other hand she held her staff, which twirled menacingly. Roman scanned the room, but found no Janus. "What were you expecting? That I would have him right here? No! He's in the dungeon, of course." She let the dagger fall, catching the hilt and burying the blade into one of the armrests of her throne. 

"You do not have the authority to kidnap a side! When Thomas hears about this he will-"

The dragon witch sat straighter, thrusting her staff to the floor with a loud _clang!_ "This is the imagination, Roman! Sides don't have the same authority here." She shifted her position again, throwing one of her legs over the arm of her chair. "Besides. I doubt Thomas would even care." She grinned, nodding at Roman's angered expression. "Yeah, Janus told me everything. Now that we're best buds, I've found out a lot about how Thomas treats some of his sides…"

Roman shook his head as he stepped forward, pointing his sword towards the witch. "What did you do to him?"

She shrugged, "I only let him see his true nature. Now he doesn't have to worry about kissing up to Thomas anymore. In fact, he said he wants to stay here with me, forever."

"Liar!" Roman began to approach the throne, never taking his eyes off the dragon witch. "You've bewitched him! He's under your spell!"

She hummed, tilting her head to the side. "Why do you even care? Your little boyfriend told me that all of you just see him as a monster. Why try to protect him, Roman? Why save him?" 

Roman paused. Truth be told, he really had no idea why. He could be doing this for Thomas. Or maybe it was the fact that Janus was really just an innocent bystander in the war between him and the dragon witch. His thoughts drifted to the sight of Janus sunning himself by the fountain, and Roman felt his heart beat faster. He growled, shaking the feeling off and began to walk towards the dragon witch again. "Stop trying to get into my head, foul beast! I am going to walk out of here with Janus, whether you like it or not!"

The witch paused in her taunting as a toothy grin took over her face. "You really want him so badly?" She stuck her palm out in the air and a key materialized, dropping into it. She let the key hang off her finger, swaying slightly. "Go ahead and try to take him!" She thumped her staff on the ground and smoke engulfed her, leaving an empty throne behind. The key fell and clattered on the stone, sliding on the marble towards Roman's feet.

He picked it up slowly. Clenching it in his fist as he left the mighty throne room. With his sword at the ready at all times, Roman cautiously began to explore the maze of hallways and stairwells that made up the dragon witch's castle. Soon enough he found the entrance to what he believed to be the dungeon. The stairs were made of slippery stone that reflected the light of the torches attached to the walls. They never seemed to end, and with each step Roman felt himself get colder and colder, almost frigid. By the time he reached the bottom he found his body shivering.

Instead of a hallway lined with cells, the staircase opened into an anteroom that prefaced a single, solid wood door. Roman looked down at the key in his hand. He saw his breath hang in the air as his heart rate quickened. Slowly, carefully, he slid the key into the hole and turned. The loud click of the lock echoed around the room and up the staircase, creating a haunting groan that reverberated in Roman's chest as he swung open the door. 

"Janus!" Roman gasped at the sight in front of him. Janus was chained to the wall by his neck and wrists. His gauntlets and boots had been taken from him, leaving him barefoot on the freezing stone. His wide hat had disappeared also, giving Roman a clear view of his dark brown curls as his head slumped forward. 

At the sound of his name, Janus looked up. Roman almost stepped back in fear when he saw his face. Janus no longer had a human eye. Both of his pupils were dilated like a snake, yellow and almost glowing in the darkness. The scales that used to just inhabit one side of his face had crept past his nose. As Roman looked on, Janus began to thrash in his chains, stumbling to his feet and making a dash towards him. The chain around his neck caught harshly on the wall, almost throwing him to the ground again. 

"Whoa. Calm down. You're going to be fine, I'm not her." Roman sheathed his sword, putting his hands up. Janus just bared his fangs, letting out a mix between a hiss and a growl. Roman would be lying if he said the noise didn't make him feel… strange. He shook off the feeling, taking another few steps forward. As he got closer, Janus seemed to still. His eyes stared right through Roman's as he took another tentative step. Suddenly, a numbing sensation began to manifest near Roman's toes. His arms began to feel heavy, and he found that he couldn't feel his fingers. Roman realized with alarm that he was no longer moving forward, Janus was keeping his gaze, slinking towards him inch by inch. 

That witch! She'd given Janus a charming curse. Roman began desperately trying to look away, yet his breathing got slower with every second. The numbness moved upwards, through his legs and torso. Janus's gaze made Roman's head foggy, making him want to fall asleep where he stood. Finally the magic worked its course through his body, his muscles stiff as Janus finished his approach. There was humor behind his snake eyes, glinting through and transferring into Roman's head. Janus stood to his full height.

He leaned in close, finally breaking eye contact to examine the rest of his prey's body. Roman instantly felt the spell weaken. Janus looked back at him, but Roman used all of his willpower to screw his eyes shut. Janus hissed angrily, but Roman kept his resolve. 

Roman felt Janus grab his tunic, lifting him off his heels, and growling, "Open them." His voice was low, and with the fog over his mind from the remainder of the spell, Roman felt compelled to follow his order. He shook his head, trying to clear it.

"I know you can fight it, Janus." Roman's tongue was heavy and dense, but he managed to force it to work. "Just-"

Janus growled louder, tackling Roman to the ground. "Stay. Still." He felt his body obey the order, but Roman struggled with all his might as the feeling in his arms and legs began to return. Janus grabbed his head and twisted it to the side, trying to press his fangs into Roman's neck. The prince mustered all his strength and thrust Janus off of him, rolling out of the way and reaching for his sword. His closed eyes betrayed him, however, and Janus was back on top of him again in a matter of milliseconds. This time, he was pinning Roman's chest and legs, giving him no avenue of escape. 

Roman decided to take a chance, opening his eyes. "Janus look at me." Janus obliged, his eyes glinting as Roman almost forgot what he was trying to do. "...you… you won't..." Roman felt the fog come back tenfold. "...Thomas won't... have a protector...if we lose… you." Janus blinked. "Are you listening to me?" Roman yanked his arm free, slapping Janus across the face with a _thwack!_ The impact sent the dark side flying, rolling twice before landing on his back. Roman stared straight ahead, his body frozen again. He sensed movement.

"Did you just _slap_ me?" Janus's voice… it was back to normal! "It's freezing in here! Where are we?" Roman tried to answer him but his mouth wouldn't move. "Roman?"

"...M'fine!" Roman's mouth wouldn't allow him any more than that.

Janus chuckled as he crawled over to Roman, "What's wrong with you?" Roman gasped as Janus came into view. While his personality had returned, his face and eyes were still cursed. Roman felt his mind going foggy again as Janus looked at him with alarm. "Roman?" Janus nudged his side. He tilted his head, lifting up one of Roman's arms and releasing it. The appendage dropped to the ground, limp. The memories seemed to come back to him at the sight, "Oh!" 

Janus averted his eyes and began to rummage around Roman's tunic, digging into pockets and under his sash frantically. Roman would have stopped him if he could move his limbs, but in his cloudy state all he could do was think about how… vulnerable… he was right now. His cheeks flushed as Janus finally fished out what he was looking for- a mirror. How did he even know it was there?! Janus scoffed as he looked at himself. "...This dragon bitch better know how to reverse this or I'll turn her to stone!" Janus slipped the mirror back into Roman's sash and stood. He looked down at Roman. "Get up." 

Roman's body complied and moved on its own, and suddenly he was on his feet. If he wasn't completely red before, he certainly was now. Janus seemed to realize what was happening and grinned. "This would be entertaining if I wasn't chained to a fucking brick of ice." He shook his head, reaching forward and grabbing Roman's sword. Roman tried to reach out and stop him but his enchanted body kept still. "I need _actual_ Roman right now…" Janus took the blade and sliced a section of his charcoal-black cape off, tying it around his eyes to make a blindfold. He returned the sword and turned around to look at the chains holding him to the wall.

Roman witnessed the interaction through clouded glasses. His heart rate began to get back to normal from it's snail pace. Slowly his limbs came back, and he stepped forward on numbed legs to help Janus unwind the chains from the rings in the wall. Every now and then while they were working, Roman would catch sight of one of Janus's fangs, then subsequently start to sweat a little more. As they were escaping from the deep dungeon the same would happen again. Roman felt Janus's eyes through the fabric of the blindfold, and he'd see the fog. They finally emerged from the staircase, walking together into the great hall. 

The dragon witch sighed from her throne. "Huh. REALLY thought he'd eat you, Roman." She rolled her eyes. "Or AT LEAST bite you. I didn't give you fangs for nothing, Baby Snakes!"

"Cut the shit. You're going to get rid of _this_." Janus gestured to his face. 

"Or what, Dee Dee?" The witch began to hang upside down in her chair.

"Or I'll make you!" Janus reached up to remove the blindfold.

She laughed, "With what?! Your curse?!" Her laughing somehow increased in volume. "Janus, I'm _gay_."

Janus's anger was getting more intense now as his fists balled at his sides, "Yeah, well so is Roman and it worked fine!" Roman sputtered, though the conversation continued as if neither of them heard him.

"No honey." The dragon witch sat up again, getting out of her chair and gesturing to herself. "I'm a _lesbian_ . A _male_ charm spell isn't going to work on me." She winked, "The nature of the curse is that it works on whoever you're attracted to. With you being hella gay and me ALSO being hella gay, I've achieved double immunity to the spell!" She did a little dance, spinning around her staff. "It's foolproof!" She amended herself, doubling over in giggles, "Lesbian proof!!!" 

Before Janus could tackle her, Roman stepped in front of him. "But are you immune to my blade?" 

She flopped back onto her throne, raising her staff at them lazily. "Oh yeah. You're here too." She shrugged. "Might as well send you both home."

"Good! It'll save us the trip and I'll have my top magicians cure Janus in no time!" Roman nodded at himself, putting his hands on his hips. 

"You sure about that?" She let her head fall onto her fist that was perched on the armrest. "Who knows, Janus could turn primal aaaannny second here." 

Roman scoffed. "Um, no! I snapped him out of it! He isn't attacking me anymore!"

"Oh, you snapped him out of it?" She twirled her staff around. "Still looks pretty cursed to me." She let out a final long-winded sigh. "Whatever. I'm bored of this." Her staff's crystal ball began to glow. "See you later, Dee Dee! Come back if you're feeling beasty again!" A burst of light hit the two sides, and then the walls of the dragon witch's castle melted away. In their place, Roman and Janus saw a starry night and a wide open countryside, complete with a single blue door. It was one of the entrances to the imagination. 

Janus groaned in anger, turning to Roman. "This better not be permanent, Princey." Roman shook his head, following Janus as he went through the door. They stepped into Roman's room out of his full-length mirror, but instead of heading to his own room Janus darted into the creative side's bathroom. He flicked the light on and undid the blindfold, examining his face. Roman caught himself on one of Janus's eyes in the reflection, froze for a moment, then tore his head away. 

"Ugh. At least in the mindscape I can hide it." Janus shapeshifted, covering up the extra scales and shortening his teeth. His eye was the last thing to change, growing smaller and turning it's normal shade of brown. He glared at Roman's reflection. "Don't tell a soul about this. Especially Thomas." 

Roman bowed dramatically, "You have my word!"

Janus rolled his eyes but chuckled anyway. "I'll meet you at your castle tomorrow morning at nine. Don't be late."

Roman watched him go. "Wouldn't dream of it."


	7. The Blanket Conundrum

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey y'all. Bit of a shorter chapter this time. Hope you're doing well right now. Please stay safe, and have a lovely day. <3

Patton awoke earlier than usual that day. He stretched, then reached over to grab his glasses. But the movement gave him pause. The blanket had shifted as his arm had emerged from the warmth. 

_ What?  _ Patton gingerly picked up the blanket with two fingers, and brought it closer to his face in order to see it clearly. This wasn't his! Patton examined the fluffy fabric further, finding it to be a soft purple color. He racked his brain, but couldn't remember seeing it anywhere in the mindscape before.  _ Unless… _ Patton's memory caught on something. A… dream? 

His eyes widened as the full dream came back to him. He… and Virgil… and then- Patton gasped as he looked back at the blanket again, realization making a dark blush cover his freckled cheeks. It was... real?! Patton ducked underneath his blankets in embarrassment. He bit on his thumb, trying to shake the warmth off his face. This was  **not** happening. There was no way he actually kissed Virgil.  _ But… _ He slowly peeked his eyes out over the soft blanket. There was proof, and he had been snuggled up in it all night. 

After his eventful realization, Patton had a hard time starting his day. He got dressed, brushed his teeth, and practiced dad jokes in the mirror all with the feeling of the blanket on his skin. As he approached the door, Patton glanced back at the blanket on his bed. He smiled as his cheeks flushed. Maybe it was a dream after all… maybe he had accidentally conjured the blanket in his sleep. Yeah. That was probably it. Patton opened his door, still staring at the blanket on his bed.

"Um… Pat?" Patton jumped. He whirled around, blush on his face deepening as he laid eyes on Virgil. He startled at Patton's sudden movements, taking a step back. "Oh, sorry. Didn't mean to scare you there…" Virgil chuckled, rubbing his neck. 

Patton practically pried his eyes away from Virgil's lips, "O-oh. No, kiddo, it's ok." He glanced down, and noticed that Virgil was wearing the same pajama pants he had been wearing in his dream.  _ He had his shirt off last night, though.  _ Patton would have slapped himself at the thought if someone wasn't right in front of him. "A-anyway, Virgil. Did you need something?" Virgil's eyes wandered behind Patton, landing on his bed. 

His cheeks began to match Patton's as he played with his fingers. "Yeah actually." He pointed over Patton's shoulder. "My blanket…um… yeah."

"Oh!" Patton turned quickly, feeling Virgil's eyes on his back as he tried to act natural. He snatched it off his bed, his nose catching onto the scent of  _ Virgil  _ as he folded it over his arms. "Sorry about that." He spun a little too quickly, walking back over to hand it to Virgil. "I must've accidentally taken it when-" Their fingers brushed as Virgil took the blanket, Patton's breath stopped.

"When  _ what _ , Patton?" Patton, still frozen, looked up at Virgil as the dark side asked the question. Imperceptibly, Virgil moved closer as he moved the blanket to his hip. "Patton?" 

"...Yes...?" Patton held his breath, feeling his whole self get closer to Virgil. Virgil reached out with his unencumbered hand. His fingers ghosted Patton's chin, lifting up his face. Slowly- their eyes locked together- Virgil leaned down. Patton didn't dare to breathe as his lips parted. Then Virgil's nose brushed his, and Patton closed his eyes.

"Patton?" The moment shattered. Suddenly, Virgil wasn't cradling Patton's chin anymore. He stepped back, head whipping towards the stairway where Logan's voice had come from. He bit his lip as he turned back towards Patton. Virgil looked torn. "Patton? Are you well?" As Logan's voice got louder, Virgil seemed to make his decision. He booked it, sprinting around the dark sides' corner just as Logan mounted the top step. Logan saw a blur disappear to the dark side hallway, furrowing his brow as he looked at Patton.

He glanced down. "May I ask why you are on your toes?" Patton realized with a start that he had been leaning so far upward as to go on his tippy toes. He fell back onto his heels in embarrassment. 

"Oh, hi Logan! Oh, this? I was just- I was just stretching." Patton raised his arms over his head, making a contented face. "Yup, you know how you always tell us that stretching is good and stuff, well, yeah. I was trying it out!" 

Logan glanced back at the corner leading to the dark sides, an eyebrow raised. "Hmm. Well very thoughtful of you Patton." He swiveled to go back down the stairs, his eyes watching the hallway until the last possible moment. "Roman wanted you to come taste the berry pancakes that he made for breakfast. Come and join us whenever you're ready." 

Patton watched him go, finally putting his arms down from their raised position. He put his hand to his face gingerly, trying to mimic the way that Virgil had touched him just now…. Were they actually going to…? He tried to remember the way that their kiss had felt the night before, but it seemed like it was an eternity ago. Even the memory was soft around the edges, and Patton sighed wistfully. Soon. He would go to Virgil and figure all this out. Before it tore him up inside.


	8. An Eventful Breakfast

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! As always, thank you so much for reading. Stay safe, and have a lovely day. <3

Logan did not like the hypothesis that was forming in his head. Obviously something strange was going on. First, Remus was attacking him with weaponized seductiveness, and now Patton was lying? After he had clearly been talking to someone, and that someone clearly being a dark side? He was not enjoying what the past few days were shaping up to be. Any more incidents and he'd have to call up a meeting with everyone and Thomas.

He shook his head to clear his downcast thoughts, and sat down at the table where he had left his food. Logan had foregone syrup on his pancakes in favor of a much healthier alternative: Crofters. He mixed it with the berries that Roman had already provided and began to eat as Patton bounced into the kitchen. 

"Why hello, Padre!" Roman half-bowed from his seat on the other side of the table, gesturing to the open seat with a plate in front of it. "We have saved you a place at the table!" Patton giggled as he sat down, immediately adding an oceans worth of syrup to his pancake. As he was doing so, Roman took out the mirror kept in his tunic and adjusted his hair, then turned to look at his face from a side angle. Logan noticed that he was wearing a shimmery blush on his cheek, with much fancier eye makeup than normal. Filing the information away as possible evidence of something amiss, Logan decided to relay his concerns. 

He decided to begin with a tactful approach. "Have either of you… experienced any strange or unusual happenings with the dark sides?" Roman choked on his orange juice, quickly sliding his chair backwards to avoid spilling any on his outfit. Patton cleared his throat, suddenly having trouble swallowing his pancake. 

"Nope, I haven't seen anything strange at all, Lo!" Patton looked between Roman and Logan, then gulped. "What makes you say that?"

"Yeah, Specs. Why in Zeus's Beard would you ask such a thing?" Roman recovered from his temporary choking spasm, and leaned back onto the table with an awkward chuckle.

Logan glanced at the two of them over his coffee. "No particular reason… But for Thomas' overall wellbeing it is probably for the best that the darker aspects of himself have minimal interaction with us and him to… limit negative effects." He set down his mug, but his eyes didn't stray from the other two. "Not that our counterparts are evil, of course. Every side has an instrumental purpose in Thomas's life. But with them representing more negative aspects… too much of that could be detrimental to his social life and health." Logan watched them closely, trying to make sense of their facial expressions. 

Roman opened his mouth, then closed it. His eyes went astronomically wide, "Logan- what time is it?"

Logan, partially taken aback, answered with a stutter after glancing at his watch, "It's a quarter past nine, why?" Logan hadn't even finished speaking before Roman leapt out of his seat. 

He was halfway across the living room before he turned around, face flushed, "S-sorry! I forgot that I had someone- Ah!- I mean,  _ something _ to attend to in the imagination! Great talk Logan. Thank you for the, uh, insightful information! Good day to you both!" He practically flew up the stairs, and was gone before either side could protest.

Patton eyed Logan guiltily as he picked up his and Roman's plates and brought them to the kitchen. "Do you want me to get that for you, Logan?"

Logan was still staring at the empty stairs suspiciously. "Hmm? Oh. No, I can take care of it."

"Ok!" Patton practically held his breath as he went behind Logan's chair. He had almost made it to the stairs when Logan turned around.

"Patton." Logan frowned when Patton jumped.

He turned around, already reaching for the banister. "Yes?"

Logan sighed, relaxing his expression. "Be careful whenever you see a dark side, Patton. Thomas…" His eyes moved past Patton, thinking. "Thomas doesn't know how to accept them the way he accepts us. If he doesn't trust them yet… then, we should keep them at arm's length." Patton looked down at the stairs. He nodded once, then went up the steps. 

"Ouch. That was pretty harsh, don't ya think Logan?" Logan's back stiffened at the sound of Remus' voice, a shiver shook his spine. His head swiveled to see Remus sitting in the chair across from him, feet up on the table. His eyes were looking at the stairs where Patton had disappeared, with a seemingly wild mischief behind them. "'Arms length?' I feel like we've been a little closer than that~" Remus chuckled as his eyes flicked over to Logan, and despite the logical side's efforts, his mouth went dry.

"C-could you kindly remove your feet from the table?" 

Surprisingly, Remus complied, "Anything for you, Logan~." Another shiver overtook Logan as Remus said his name, and it seemed to spur him on. "What's so wrong with us dark sides?" Remus grabbed the table with both of his hands. "We're all apart of Thomas, aren't we Logan? Who's to say that we don't deserve the same perks that you three do?"

Logan gulped, watching every movement that Remus made warily. "The difference between the light and dark sides is a construct, created by Thomas at a young age. Truly, any side could be listened to more than any other side. But it all comes down to Thomas."

Remus leaned forward, and Logan leaned back. "Not  _ just _ Thomas, though." Remus leaned further over the table, putting his elbows on it to rest his head on his hands. "You three never exactly helped him warm up to us…" He crawled forward even more, his entire body weight resting on the table's surface. "You told him that we were to be feared and he shut us right out." He brought one of his knees up, crawling forward to get closer to Logan. "How do you think that made  _ us _ feel, dear Logic?" Logan's words died in his mouth at hearing his title. 

Remus looked down at Logan's unfinished plate. He grinned, taking a fingerful of jam and shoving it unceremoniously in his mouth. He hummed, using the opportunity to get closer still. "Is that Logan's Berry? Your little jam named after  _ you _ ?" He took a drop of jam on his finger and this time placed it squarely on Logan's nose. Logan couldn't look away from Remus' eyes, couldn't tear his gaze away from his face. 

Remus chuckled. "Oh I think I've got you figured out, Logan." His hand shot out, taking Logan's neck in a loose hold. Logan's breath hitched. "You're so tired of being so uptight all the time, keeping the Light Side Losers out of trouble. You just want to relinquish some control, kick back and relax." Logan wasn't able to think, it was as if Remus was making him braindead. Remus pulled Logan towards him to whisper in his ear, "You know I can make that happen. Don't you want to just go wild? Apeshit? Don't you wanna lose that tie and have some  _ fun _ ?" Remus pulled back, but still held onto Logan by his neck.

He glanced at the jam on Logan's nose, grinning from ear to ear. With one swipe of his tongue, he cleaned it off of his face. Logan's mouth fell agape. Remus slipped him a wink, and gave him a final once-over before speaking, "Can't wait to see how you  _ really _ taste, Logan." The next moment, he was gone, leaving a sufficiently broken Logan behind.

Logan groaned, putting his hot face into his hands. He felt like every cell in his body had been boiled. He still smelt the Crofters on his nose, felt the sticky remnants of it on his neck. For the life of him, Logan couldn't figure out why he hadn't been scared when Remus grabbed him. He should have resisted, struggled even, at such a violent advance. But yet… he hadn't been fearful at all. In fact, it had even felt…. He groaned again at the thought. Feelings were certainly an issue at this point.

Logan needed to solve whatever was happening, and fast. It was clear to him now that the other sides were being affected, too. Patton had been speaking with one of the dark sides that morning. Roman had undoubtedly gone to meet one in the imagination, along with acting suspiciously when Logan had posed the question about it. There was something major going on, something new.

And Remus had left him with clues.


	9. The Trickery of Scholars

Roman's heart pounded as he sprinted through his castle halls. This time, the entrance to the imagination put him inside his private quarters in the castle. But even though he cut his travel time down considerably, he still needed to find Janus before the dark side decided to eat him. He spotted a guard at the end of the wide hall and skidded to a stop.

He hastily thought up a title that probably suited a side, "Have you seen- uh, Lord Janus around here?!" Roman was panting heavily, and the guard looked a little more than concerned.

"Uh, no, Highness." He paused, confusion drifting over his face. "I'm deeply sorry, but who are you referring to, Sire? I don't believe I have ever known a, 'Lord Janus?'"

Roman heaved in another breath, putting up a hand as he held his side. "Don't-huff- don't worry about it." He frowned. "So no one with scales came by this point?" 

The guard placed his hand on his sword, and half stepped forward as if to help his prince, then hesitated. "Scales, your highness? Are you feeling… alright...?" The guard's words trailed off as he glanced up and over Roman's head, his eyes stuck on something behind him. Roman noticed the strange tone of voice from where he was doubled over, and he stood up. 

"Guardsman?" Roman waved his hand in front of the other man's eyes. He tentatively reached out and tapped his face. "Are you alright?" Roman frowned as he realized that the other man's eyes had faded and were replaced with a swirling spiral of yellow and black. The realization hit him as he spun around. "Janus-" And just like that, Roman was caught, too. His limbs went stiff and his brain fogged over as Deceit stood there, hands on his hips.

"You're late." Roman tried to apologize, or even make a sound, but nothing came out. He felt warmth rising into his cheeks yet again. Janus's face bent into a frown. "Come here." Roman's body moved on its own accord, walking smoothly over to stand in front of Janus. Even in his drugged state, Roman felt hot embarrassment fill up his entire being. Janus grabbed his collar, pulling Roman in closer. "Listen here,  _ Highness _ . Ending this curse is very important to me. I can't have my negative image be exacerbated for Thomas any more than it already has. And besides getting to play around with you a little, I'd rather have people look me in the eye and answer me of their own free will." He released Roman with force, averting his gaze and taking the blindfold out of his tunic. He tied it around his eyes, then stormed off in the other direction. "So don't be late again." 

Roman stumbled forward as he gained control over his legs again. "Wait! Janus I'm sorry." He caught up to the other side, walking sideways next to him as he gestured with his hands, "We had breakfast and Logan-"

Janus stopped walking, and Roman stopped a step too late, turning around as Janus asked, "Logan? What did Logan do?" 

Roman shrugged, "He- well he just asked if we had any weird experiences with you dark sides-" At Janus's expression, Roman quickly added, "-and I didn't tell them anything about you! Don't worry! No one else knows but me!"

Janus studied Roman's expression, then clicked his tongue. "Good." He began to walk again, and Roman let out a sigh of relief before following. "So are we just going on a leisurely stroll or are you actually going to take me to someone who can get rid of this curse?" Roman thought he could hear a hiss in the last word, and gulped. 

"Y-yes! I mean- no! I mean, yes I'm taking you to someone, and no about the walk thing." Roman laughed awkwardly as he pointed them down another hallway. "It's this way to our library. Our scholars and magic users should be in there." The pair walked the rest of the way in silence, winding through the bright hallways of Roman's castle. The library had no doors, instead it simply started at the end of a hallway. The walls of books extended far above their heads, at least three or four more stories before they reached the glass ceiling. 

Several groups of scholars milled about the library, but Roman made a beeline for a small table that was situated in an isolated corner of the great room. At it, around ten women of various ages and expertise sat waiting. As the two of them approached, the scholars stood up from their seats and bowed. The eldest of them gestured to the table, where books and loose parchment were open and strewn about on its surface. 

"We've been researching the Dragon Witch's magic and past cures for it, Prince Roman. We believe that we can be rid of the visual aspect to your friend's curse in a matter of days. And the charm magic that he possesses could very well go with it." 

A young mage cleared her throat. "But if the charming power is separate from the aesthetic properties of the curse, it will take a bit longer to get rid of." Roman sat down at the table, but the scholars remained standing. 

They looked between each other, passing grins and barely hidden laughter as the first woman spoke again, expertly hiding her laughter with grace. "Oh no your highness. We would politely ask that you leave us."

Roman sputtered, "What?! Why?"

Another mage wearing an ornate mask nodded her head gravely. "We require absolute silence and concentration when examining our patient." Roman could've sworn that she was smiling as she said it, but he couldn't see her expression. He looked at the rest of the scholars with suspicion. They always tried to mess with him like this. 

His eyes darted around the group, but no one's face gave anything away. "...I would rather stay, if I have anything to say on the matter." 

The magicians answered as a group, "You don't!" Janus snickered, and Roman glared at him as his face flushed.

A particularly tall scholar tilted her head to the side, her shining silver hair falling over her shoulder like a waterfall, "Actually, ladies…" Everyone turned to look at her. "I do believe we have a use for our good Prince, here."

"You do?" Roman felt more afraid now than relieved. 

Everyone looked at Roman, none of them trying to hide their grins now. "Yes your Highness. We do." The silver-haired scholar's eyes lit up with mirth, along with the thrill of trickery. "Since you wanted to stay so badly, why don't you be our test subject?" 

"W-what?" Roman looked at Janus for help but he looked as confused as he was. 

The young mage moved from her spot near the table and placed her glasses on her head. "How can we accurately heal your friend of his curse when we haven't seen the effects firsthand?" 

Roman stood up from his chair quicker than needed, putting his hands up as he backed away. "I must respectfully decline, please." He began to sweat, thinking about being caught in the thrall of the curse again. "Surely you can find someone else to-"

"But your Highness! You wanted to stay so badly!" The woman in the mask sounded chipper. "And besides, do you see any other handsome men around?" Her and the rest of the scholars made a show of looking all around them, and they agreed that there were none to be found. 

The elder scholar walked behind Roman and pushed him back towards the group, holding onto him by his shoulders. "So glad you could be of help to us Prince Roman. So lucky that you're so handsome. And gay, too! Simply divine." Roman sighed, defeated. He looked up to see that Janus had his back turned to him as three mages were examining his scales and eyes. One mage was crouched down lower, trying to see into his mouth as he talked. Soon enough they finished their examinations, closing their journals to discuss possible solutions together.

"Ok Roman. Janus here is going to turn around. To correctly determine this curse's strength we need you to fight it off for as long as possible. From what we've heard, your body will go stiff in a few seconds but you  _ can _ resist his commands if you try hard enough." Roman nodded, steeling himself. "Are you ready? Remember. Fight for as long as possible. We won't judge if you go under fast, that just means we have our work cut out for us."

Roman let out a pent-up breath. "I'm ready."

"Janus." The woman gestured at him to turn around and Janus nodded as he obliged. Roman almost staggered backward at the sight. When Janus was trying- actually trying- to put him under, Roman found his body go stiff almost immediately. He let out an involuntary gasp at the sudden weight of the fog in his head, dulling his senses and shutting everything else out. Then, his thoughts themselves seemed to be drowned in white noise, and his vision went dark. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, y'all! I love all the comments you have been leaving, they really brighten up my day. As always, y'all be safe now. Much love, The_WritersBlock. <3


	10. Secluded Movie

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again, all. Been pretty busy with college but managed to write a few chapters. Hope y'all enjoy, and have a lovely day <3.

The day had come and gone. The night arrived, also, but Patton found it difficult to sleep. For some reason, the blanket he had been sleeping with… just wasn't enough. But he didn't quite know what "enough" meant. Was it not  _ warm _ enough? Not  _ big _ enough? Not  _ fuzzy _ enough? Patton sighed as he turned over again. An infinitesimal amount of light was peaking through his curtains, signaling that morning had come.

He stuffed a pillow to his face, groaning. Who was he kidding? He knew  _ exactly _ why he couldn't sleep through the night. But he didn't want to admit it to himself. He took the pillow off of his face and stared at the ceiling.

"Logan is smart. He knows what's best for Thomas." Patton tried to convince himself as his eyes unfocused. He shook his head, glancing over at the clock sitting on his bedside table. It was almost seven thirty. _Too_ _early_ , Patton thought. But he was up. So the day had to start. Patton crawled out of bed, got dressed, then set to work on his room. He had let it get pretty messy in the last months, and figured that it was now or never. 

He began by making his bed, fluffing up his plethora of blankets and pillows before folding his covers back neatly. Patton then moved to his desk, which was overcome with piles of drawings and little notes stacked high enough to reach his shoulders. He looked over every single piece of art and writing, smiling warmly as he organized them into a box that he slid underneath his bed. 

After his desk was sufficiently usable again, Patton began to tidy his floor. This was a simpler task, as most of the mess was made up of dirty and discarded clothes. He took his hamper with him as he went picking up items around the room. When that was done, Patton gave his living space a final glance. All he could see that was out of place were stray mugs and plates he had brought to his room. He scooped them up and left his room for the first time that morning. He was met in the kitchen by Logan, who looked at his watch, then back at Patton.

"Tidying up I see. Great idea, Patton. I should set myself to that activity later." Patton giggled as Logan looked past him, at the stairs. "I had assumed Roman was with you. It seems he had an early start in the imagination today…. Again." Logan furrowed his brow as he looked at his watch. Patton noticed the gesture as he opened the fridge. 

"Oh! What time is it, Lo?" Patton reached for the orange juice as Logan answered him.

"8:30." Logan hummed and took a long sip of his coffee as he watched the second hand tick by. "Roman was late for something yesterday, correct? Didn't he rush out of here at around 9:15?"

Patton shrugged, pouring himself some of the juice, "He did seem kinda in a hurry. He was probably s'posed to do something in his kingdom at nine." Logan stiffened as the moral side replaced the bottle in the fridge and skipped out of the kitchen. "Good luck on your cleaning, kiddo!"

Logan tapped his fingers on the counter as he gave a quick nod in Patton's direction, "Y-yes. Thank you, Patton." Patton walked up the stairs and down the hallway. He came upon his door, freezing in place as he reached for the handle. 

_ Had he left the door open? _ Patton tilted his head to the side. He thought he had remembered closing it. He shrugged as he entered the room, closing the door behind him. He tried to take another step inside, only for his momentum to be halted. Patton yelped as he tripped over something heavy on the floor, landing face first in his own carpet. Bringing his face up from his floor, he craned his neck around in order to see what he had fallen over.

_ What the-  _ Patton shifted in order to make sure he was seeing things clearly. He shook his head in disbelief as he crawled over to the object. 

It was Remus's morningstar. Just. Laying there. On his floor. Patton touched the weapon tentatively. As his fingers brushed the metal, he found it cold. He looked up to his door, then back to the mace. There was no way he had missed it before. It must have appeared in his room while he was downstairs. Patton gripped the weapon with one hand and attempted to stand to his feet. It didn't budge. He frowned, slipping his other hand around the handle and pulling again. This time, he was able to lift the handle side, but the heavy spiked ball remained on his floor. He grunted as he struggled with the unwieldy thing, shrugging it onto his shoulder awkwardly. He took a step and almost keeled backwards as Remus's morningstar shifted.

Patton adjusted it as he opened his door, and walked carefully down the hall. He turned the dark side's corner, then passed Janus's door without issue. His pace slowed imperceptibly as he came upon Virgil's. He felt his face heat as his eyes locked on the purple door. The tiny distraction was enough, however, to make him lose focus on his task. The morningstar began to slip backwards behind him. Patton yelped as the extreme weight hurtled him back to the hallway carpet. They collided with the floor at the same time, and Patton let out a small ‘ _ oof’  _ as the air was knocked out of him. 

To his left, he heard rustling. His gaze flew over to the door, and his eyes went wide as he found that the handle was turning. As the door opened, Virgil’s voice got louder,

“Remus! How many times does Janus need to tell you to-” Virgil stopped in his tracks. His eyes met Patton’s. Then he looked at what Patton was holding. He growled, looking down the hall at Remus’s door. “That little….” Virgil stepped forward, grabbing the mace in one hand and Patton’s wrist in the other. In one fluid motion, Remus’s weapon was on his shoulder and Patton was pulled to his feet. Virgil turned around and Patton stayed frozen on the spot, staring at the morningstar.  _ Virgil just… _ He felt a deep red blush fly up his neck and spread over his entire face, the heat almost palpable. Patton’s hands jumped to cover his face, watching Virgil through parted fingers. “REMUS!” Virgil practically slammed his fist into the door.

The door opened as Remus answered, “Oh hi, Virgil. It seems you’ve found my present for good old Morality here~” Remus peaked his body out of the doorframe and waved at Patton with a flutter of his fingers. 

Virgil rolled his eyes. “It doesn’t seem like he appreciated it.” Virgil let the weapon fall off his shoulder, swung it in a tight circle with his wrist, then slammed it into Remus’s stomach. Remus practically teleported back into his room as the impact sent him flying. Patton gasped as he leaned sideways to see if Remus was ok. 

Patton heard the Creative side’s voice from deep inside his bedroom, “Why thank you Virgil, I needed that today!”

Virgil groaned, tossing the morningstar through the doorway and grabbing the handle, “Just please. Don’t do that again.” He pulled the door shut and turned, freezing as he realized that Patton was still there. “Oh. Um… hey Patton.” He quickly glanced at Remus’s door, “Um, don’t worry about him, we do that kinda thing all the time.” Virgil chuckled awkwardly as he rubbed his neck. “Sorry about all that… I guess I’ll be… going…” He practically flattened himself against the wall trying to get by Patton, reaching for his door as a light pink color came to his cheeks. 

Patton felt his morning loneliness again, then felt a flash of bravery. “Wait!” Virgil stopped. Patton stepped forward. “Let’s hang out!” The words came out a little loudly, judging by the way Virgil jumped, but Patton shook his head to clear the naysaying thoughts. “I mean, let’s watch a movie together or something!” 

A smile slowly stretched onto Virgil’s face, “Or something?”

Patton gulped and he felt his confidence evaporating as he stared at Virgil’s grin. “I mean, we could, um, we could do a board game, or, or-”

Virgil raised his hands. “No, no, a movie sounds… fun.” He looked at the corner of the hall. “So… do you want to go to your room or would-”

Patton cut Virgil off as the thought of Logan came to him, “Nope!” He tried to pass off his fear with a laugh, “Your room!”

Virgil chuckled, shrugging his shoulders, “Ok then. My room, I guess.” He opened his door, letting Patton go through first. Patton felt the last dregs of bravery disappear as he found himself standing in a dark side’s room. He had't thought about what was next, only that he wanted to make a move. Patton didn’t even know what movie he wanted!

Next to him, Virgil was thinking along the same lines. What the heck was he supposed to do now that Patton was in here?! Almost everything he had done to woo the moral side was completely on accident or a spur of the moment decision. Virgil felt the familiarity of anxiety creeping into him as he realized that he had been silent for far too long. “So.” Patton looked at him with those innocent eyes of his and Virgil felt his strength melting. “Wh-what do you want to see?”

Patton laughed, “Well something Disney, of course! Or Pixar!”

Virgil rolled his eyes with love, “I should’ve known.” 

Patton didn’t seem to notice the sarcasm as he ventured farther into the room. He walked over to the television in the corner, then looked over to Virgil’s bed. “How do you even watch movies?”

Virgil’s face flushed with embarrassment, “Oh, I don’t really use that…” Patton’s head tilted in question, and Virgil thought he would explode. Damn. He was really gay. He avoided Patton’s face, trying to pull himself together, “I just- use my phone.”

Patton frowned, “Well that’s just not gonna work!” Patton began to wedge himself between the dresser and the wall, careful not to knock over the tv that was sitting on top. 

Virgil looked on incredulously, “What are you  _ doing _ ??”

“I’m moving it so we can watch together, on the bed!” 

Virgil gulped, “Oh.” He stood for a moment, before he stepped forward and grabbed the sides of the waist-high dresser. He steeled himself, then lifted. The furniture was heavier than he expected, but he was still able to take both the tv and dresser and set them at the foot of his bed. He sighed in relief as he put it down, wiping his brow. He turned to look at Patton, whose eyes were wide and mouth was ajar. Virgil felt the embarrassment heat up again, and turned around to avoid Patton’s gaze. “Uhm, yeah, anywho, what do you feel like watching?”

Patton seemed quiet as he spoke, “I-I know you like Black Cauldron, so maybe that one?”

Virgil shook his head, “Nah, I saw that one recently.” Despite Virgil’s nonchalant-ness, he felt touched that Patton had remembered his favorite movie.

Patton jumped up onto Virgil’s bed and swung his feet back and forth, thinking. “Then what’s a movie you haven’t seen in awhile?”

Virgil sat down on the other side of the bed, looking at the ceiling as the thought for a moment, “I haven’t seen Incredibles in a _long_ time.” Patton whooped, and an Incredibles dvd fell out of the air and into Patton’s outstretched hand. He put the movie in the tv and scooched closer to the middle of the bed. Virgil did the same. Their shoulders brushed in the middle, and Virgil’s body jumped. Wordlessly, Patton moved closer. Virgil sucked in a breath as he felt Patton’s soft curls on his cheek. The movie started, but Virgil found that he couldn’t focus. _Oh no,_ he thought. This movie would be the death of him.


	11. Library Conversationalist

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The chapter's a bit shorter than usual, but there was no way to make a longer one fit in the timeframe needed. Let me know your predictions for the story!

This time, Roman arrived at the castle early. He felt less hurried as he walked through his halls, greeting servants and guards, and taking a few pastries from the kitchen. He laughed with the cooks as they scolded him. Much to his chagrin, a few of his advisors found him on the way and tried to discuss foreign matters with him. He was still in heavy discussion with them when he finally made it to the library. He waved them away, checking his outfit and breath before he moved to enter. Before he could do so, however, Roman was surprised by his scholars, who passed him as they were leaving. 

They bowed to him, and noticing the confused look on his face, the tallest one spoke, “My Prince. Your friend requested that we leave him. I believe he is frustrated that our magic has not healed him as of yet.” She motioned to the scholars and they began to move in a group down the hallway. She turned and looked back down to Roman, “Speak with him. He seems worried, and high-strung. Maybe he will listen to you.” She bowed once more, then glided away. Roman took a deep breath, then carefully and slowly made his way into the library. He peaked around a corner, finding Janus at a small table in between two towering bookshelves. The stack of books on the floor next to him almost rivaled the height of the shelves, with a precarious lean that made Roman wonder why they hadn’t fallen yet. Janus was flipping through a book slowly, skimming each page before he moved on to the next.

His eyes were uncovered, Roman realized. He felt a bit of the spell pulling at him, lulling him to sleep. He took a moment to stare at the sheen of his scales, and that dark, wavy hair, before coming back to reality. He put his arm over his face, stepping out into the open where Janus could see him. “Janus? Are you here?”

Janus hissed. “Go away, Roman.” 

Roman kept his arm over his eyes, flailing about with his other hand to try and feel where he was going. “No can do, Janus. I’m not going to be late again!” 

The dark side scoffed, “I don’t want you here,  _ Highness _ .” 

Roman frowned. "What did I do? ...Did I take too long?" He moved his arm away from his face in order to gesture, but kept his eyes shut. "In that case, I'm very sorry I couldn't be here Janus. That was  _ not _ very prince-like of me and I promise that next time I'll do better-" Roman didn't know a book was flying at him until it collided with his forehead. He yelped in pain as the impact caused him to fall backwards onto the library floor. 

"You just don't know when to shut up, do you?" Janus couldn't help but grin at the sight of Roman on the ground. "I can still force you out of here, Roman. I'm not wearing the blindfold." Roman didn't move. Janus furrowed his brow. "What? Is your ego bruised or something?" When Roman didn't answer again, Janus stood up from his chair to get a better look. "Roman." 

Nothing. 

Janus put his hand in his tunic pocket, fishing for the blindfold. He began to walk forward, tying the cloth around his eyes as he got closer. "Princey? Are you there?" He winced when he looked upon the large welt that was forming on the creative Side's head. "Fuck, Roman!" He dropped to his knees, and lightly tapped Roman's hand. "Wake up." His panic rose as he didn't respond to the touch. 

Janus grabbed Roman's shoulders and shook them lightly. "Ok, you're totally  _ not _ worrying me right now." He placed his head on Roman's chest, holding his breath until he heard the other side's heart. He sat up again and grabbed the collar of Roman's tunic. Janus tugged him upwards slightly, raising his other hand as he did so. "Don't make me slap you." He waited for Roman to respond. His hand went higher. "I'm going to do it." 

One of Roman's eyes opened, and a very un-princelike grin spread across his face, "Aww, you  _ do _ care." 

Janus was frozen in that position for a moment, then he felt a burning heat rise up from his neck and settle on his cheeks. He glanced back at his wound up hand, then back at Roman in a clear threat. Roman just shrugged. Janus growled as he released Roman and let the prince's head fall to the ground with a soft thud. "You're an ass."

Roman sat up, leaning in close, "If you mean ass-thetically pleasing, then you would be right~" Janus was about to retort when he realized just how close Roman was. Sitting there. On the floor. Really, really,  _ really  _ near his face. His reply was swallowed as Roman inched forward. "So, are you going to tell me what was bothering you so much that you kicked my scholars out?" Roman was closer to Janus than he had ever been before. He couldn’t help himself from looking at Roman’s features, though they were partially distorted by the blindfold. Roman seemed to notice that Janus was staring, and the dark side panicked under the pressure.

Janus slid backwards, leaning to let the bookshelf behind him support his weight. He cleared his throat, “Th-they’ve done nothing. They promised they would at least get my  _ face  _ back to normal but even  _ that- _ ” Janus paused as Roman shifted, moving to sit next to him. “...even that seemed too much for them to handle.” 

Roman chuckled and Janus could feel the vibrations through their shared contact, “You seem kind of impatient for only the second day of curse-breaking.”

“I think I’m allowed to be a little impatient here,  _ Roman _ ,” Janus practically spat, “Thomas would never listen to me looking like  **this** .” He waved his hand around his face.

Roman barked, unhelpfully, “He barely listens to you anyway!” Janus elbowed Roman harshly. “Ow!”

“Yes. And I’d  _ absolutely  _ ask you to bring that up again, thank you.” Janus turned and met Roman’s eyes to make a point but found that Roman was already looking at him. He suddenly felt very  _ seen  _ as Roman tilted his head, agonizingly slow. Janus’s next line caught in his throat as he stared at Roman’s face again. Roman was… very handsome, Janus’s brain unhelpfully remembered. Roman breathed and the air rustled Janus’s hair. He opened his mouth to say something but Roman was suddenly reaching for his face. The dark side dared not breathe. His hand was too close now, Janus realized late. “Roman-” Roman’s hand froze, then seemed to change course. It reached up and tugged Janus’s blindfold down slightly. 

Roman exhaled, “Don’t want that showing, now do we?” When Janus remained silent, Roman pulled back, “What? I’m just doing the gentlemanly thing!” 

Janus forced his heart to recover. That wasn’t supposed to have happened. _ And yet…  _ Janus had barely made any move to stop him. He dragged his eyes away from Roman with effort, “I wouldn’t call  _ you  _ a gentleman.” He looked forward and felt a tug at his lips when an offended noise came out of Roman’s throat.

“Fine, say that, but I will not allow you to be mad at me for long!” Roman got to his feet, and held out a hand for Janus to take.

Janus eyed it suspiciously, “What’s that for?”

Roman laughed, “I know a better way to get your anger out that isn’t throwing books at my face!”

Janus smirked as he took his hand, “What could be better than  _ that _ ?” 

Roman matched his gaze, glitter in his eyes, “How about trying to stab a sword through my chest?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're in the final stretch now! Going to be some major feelings validation in the next few chapters. Thank y'all so much for reading this these past few months, its been so much fun to write. As always, have a lovely day and take care of yourselves for me. <3


	12. Butterflies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we are folks, 1 out of 3 ain't bad. Enjoy and let me know your predictions for the next chapters~

Patton’s face was burning. He was in a dark side’s room. **Virgil’s** room. He was in a room, a!!! **dark!! side’s!!!** **room**!!! And the lights were off! He was sitting next to Virgil-- Anxiety! Actual, living, breathing, anxiety!-- on his bed. At the thought his face flushed even brighter. Patton felt like he was breaking some rule, like he was going against an authority. (Logan, probably.)

They were watching Incredibles. 

Okay, so maybe it wasn’t actually _that_ rebellious. But Patton still felt brave for doing it. He knew Logan would probably see it as something bad, but Patton knew that _the_ _something_ he had for Virgil was good. He was Morality! He knew emotions! He felt all the feelings! Patton was getting swept up with the butterflies in his stomach. He couldn’t help it, he was so close to Virgil! 

At some point they moved to be more comfortable, under a warm blanket. Their shoes sat on the floor and Patton had put on his cat hoodie. Patton giggled at something Dash had done, and felt the soft chuckle of Virgil beside him. The closeness made Patton feel soft and safe, despite who he was with. He was very content staying here until the end of the universe, probably.

They watched the beginning of the movie with no problems, switching positions every now and then to assuage limbs that had fallen asleep. Virgil felt his anxiety spike every time Patton moved, every time their hands brushed. Virgil kicked himself when his heart skipped a beat. He should be the brave one, here. He had a mission, and he needed to make a move to do it. But when Patton was right next to him, he felt his stomach twisting in lovesick knots. He didn’t know about the others, but he was absolutely  _ whipped _ . There was no acting involved when it came to the plan they were pursuing. He just needed to fucking  _ kiss  _ him.

Virgil was pretty darn sure that Patton liked him. Almost positive, even. All he needed to do was drum up his courage a bit. It was easy to think about it when the light side was far away around the corner of the hall, but when Patton was right here?!  _ How do Deceit and Remus do this?!  _ Virgil cursed the butterflies fluttering around inside of him. He was always the softest dark side. And everyone knew it. Despite what he represented and what he had done in the past, no one seemed to take him seriously like they did Deceit and Remus. He sighed internally. Probably for the best, if he ever wanted Patton to like him.

Virgil was pushed out of his thoughts when Patton gasped, taking a fistful of blanket and bringing it to his chin. Virgil chuckled at the outburst. Patton had a hard time when characters were going through dangerous action sequences. The light side seemed to get scared for them at every little thing. Patton gasped again, “No- Oh my goodness-!” Virgil felt his face go red as Patton turned and buried his head into Virgil. “Tell me when it's over!” Virgil hyped himself up, then brought his arm around Patton’s side.

“Sure, w-will do.” He mentally facepalmed at the nervous stutter in his voice, and stared forward at the screen to distract himself. Patton was unnaturally silent for a moment. Virgil held his breath. 

Patton answered quietly, voice muffled by Virgil’s shirt, “Thanks.” Virgil almost wanted to yell in relief. He did something. A small something, sure, but it was still something. He waited diligently until the scene was done.

“Ok Patton, you can look now.” He felt Patton breathe a sigh of relief into the fabric of his shirt as he turned around. But Virgil began to panic again when he realized that Patton made no move to get back to the spot he had been in before. Patton was laying on him. And Virgil’s hand was  _ practically  _ on Patton’s waist. Virgil closed his eyes, forcing his heart down from his throat. No. He was going to do this. He wasn’t going to chicken out. He was gonna kiss Patton if it was the last thing he did.

_ Just- move! Move you idiot!  _

Virgil pulled Patton closer, moving his arm to circle him more. Patton gasped airily. He turned away from the movie, locking eyes with Virgil for the first time since they started watching. Virgil watched as Patton’s ears turned pink, his eyes the size of dinner plates behind his round glasses. 

“Virgil?” Patton’s gaze roamed all over Virgil’s face, “I-is this a dream?” Patton took in another breath as Virgil brought his other hand up to Patton’s face.

Virgil brushed a few stray locks off of the light side’s cheek, letting his hand fall deep into the curls of Patton’s hair, “Um, no, I don’t think so.” 

Patton’s breath shook as he took it in, “Ok.” He tried to lean up, but Virgil’s arm was keeping him in place. Virgil laughed as Patton huffed, his pink ears turning wine red. “Fine! J-just kiss me then.” 

Virgil felt his head buzz in happiness and anticipation as he tipped Patton’s face back, “Will do.” Virgil didn’t waste any more time after that, leaning down completely to close the gap between them. 

**_Oh_ ** , Patton thought. So  _ this  _ was what this was like. As a part of Thomas, he could certainly feel the butterflies when Thomas was with someone, but he had never actually... been kissed before. Patton decided that he liked it. A lot. Virgil leaned down further, and suddenly Patton found that his hands seemed to fit better on Virgil's shoulders. Patton made a mortifying squeak as Virgil accidentally nicked his bottom lip with his teeth. He felt the dark side hum an anxious apology as Patton ran his hands through Virgil’s brown hair. 

Everywhere they connected, Patton felt the flutter of butterflies on his skin and in his stomach. Patton giggled at all the feelings and emotions. It was almost too much for him. The overwhelming sweetness of his crush filled his heart and head, making him feel like he was going to pass out. 

Or maybe it was the fact that they hadn’t parted for air yet.

Virgil released him, breathing in deep breaths to relieve his aching lungs. Patton could practically hear Virgil’s heart thumping from how close they were. He took pride in the fact that he got a dark side to feel flustered. When Patton felt like he had enough air, he tried to lean up again for another kiss.

Virgil jumped, “Whoa- I thought you wanted to keep watching the movie?!” He nodded his head towards the movie screen, and Patton almost felt offended. How could he want to do anything other than this?! Did Virgil not understand how overwhelmed Patton was feeling? How many emotions he was taking in all at once? Patton shook his head hurriedly. He waited too long for this moment and he wasn’t going to just let it get away. 

“No,” Patton breathed, shifting in Virgil’s arms, “I want to do this.” He pushed delicately, leaning into Virgil as he went in for a kiss again. Virgil clasped his arms loosely around Patton’s back, pulling him closer as their lips met for the second time. The pair fell back onto the bed as Patton let his hands fall onto Virgil’s shoulders again. The rush of emotions hit him for the second time and he almost felt his brain explode. Ok, Patton decided, he was  _ definitely _ making the right decision. The universe in which they had kept watching the movie seemed completely impossible to him, now.

Virgil’s hands wandered down Patton’s side until he reached the hem of his cat hoodie. Patton laughed as Virgil’s hand slid underneath the fabric, accidentally brushing over Patton’s side. 

“Ah! Virgil!” Patton pulled away from him. “Stop- that’s-!” Patton broke off into a fit of giggles, rolling farther to try to get relief. Virgil caught on quickly, laughing as he practically leapt onto Patton to tickle him again. “Virgil!” Patton practically screamed, trying to push his hands away, “Sto-o-o-o-p!!” Virgil grabbed both of Patton’s hands and locked their fingers together, then pinned his hands over his head. Patton’s laughter froze in his throat, eyes widening as Virgil’s face brightened with a smirk.

“Hey, I stopped, didn’t I?” Virgil leant down and pressed his lips to Patton’s reddening forehead. He pulled back for only a moment before leaning down again to peck both of Patton’s cheeks. Patton tried to break free but Virgil held him steadfast.

The light side huffed, “Come oooon. That's not fair.”

Virgil hummed, laying another kiss on Patton’s nose, “You’re so cute, I'm angry I didn't do this sooner.” Before Patton could say another word, Virgil began to pepper soft kisses along Patton’s face. Virgil moved down to Patton’s chin, laying a trail of feather-light kisses all the way down to his ear. Patton moved his head to allow him, his face burning hotter every second. Virgil retraced his steps, stopping again right above Patton’s face. “Hey~”   


Patton pouted, “Just do it for real again, please?”

The dark side chuckled, already leaning in, “Can’t say no to that…” 

“Patton?!” The pair froze, then, slowly, turned around. In the doorframe, Logan stared at them with an unreadable expression. Logan spoke again, almost calmly, “Anxiety. I ask you to release Patton.  _ Immediately _ .” 

Both sides moved at the same time, Patton trying to roll out from under Virgil, and Virgil letting go of his hands and jumping to the side. As a result, Patton greatly overcalculated how much strength it would take him to get out from under Virgil, causing him to roll right off the bed and onto the floor.

"Patton!" Virgil slid off his bed and pulled Patton to his feet, checking him for injuries as he did so. 

"No, that's quite enough Virgil." Logan strolled into the room and reached for Patton's hand. 

Patton dodged out of Logan's grasp, "Logan, I'm fine. I promise."

Logan gave Virgil a suspicious glare, "Is that so." Logan stepped in between Patton and Virgil, this time lightly grabbing Patton's arm. 

"Hey-!" Patton jerked his arm away, "I told you, I'm  _ fine _ ! I'm not hurt!"

Logan sputtered, nonplussed, "But- I-" Logan gestured vaguely upwards, "Patton- I heard you yell. You said-" He swiveled, pointing an accusatory finger at Virgil, "I know what I heard. You did something. I'm sure of it."

Patton put his hands up, waving them around in front of Logan, "Waitwaitwaitwait, no, Virgil didn't do anything." Patton froze, his face going red. "Well, I mean, he  _ did _ do  _ something- _ " Patton resumed his frantic waving, shaking his head violently, "B-but it wasn't bad! No, nothing bad, all good!" Patton laughed awkwardly, scratching the back of his head. 

Logan frowned as he looked between both faces, which were varying shades of embarrassment, "Fine. I believe you. But I would still like for you to come with me." 

Patton stepped back, "What for?" 

Logan rolled his eyes, “I’m setting up a meeting with Thomas. These… strange occurrences with the dark sides are getting a bit out of hand and I for one would like to let him know of them.” Logan finally latched onto Patton with a firm but gentle grip, then turned to walk out of the room.

Virgil felt his heart jump as he heard his words, “You’re going to meet with Thomas?!” Patton reached out to Virgil and he took Patton’s hand, pulling him the opposite direction. 

Logan sighed heavily as he realized that Patton wasn’t budging. “Yes. Is that a problem?” He performed an experimental tug on Patton but he remembered with annoyance that Virgil was stronger than him. 

Virgil shook his head, “N-no.”

“Fine then,” Logan snapped. He let go of Patton, then adjusted his tie. “I expect you to be downstairs in…” He checked his watch. “... _ approximately _ forty-five minutes.” Virgil panicked even more as he heard the way-too-close timeframe. What if the others weren’t ready yet?! 

He felt an anxiety-fueled last minute idea pop into his head, then, “Remus!! Reemuuus!!!” 

Logan actually stepped backwards at the force of Virgil’s voice, eyes widening. “What-” His face paled, “Wait. Stop-” 

“You called?” Remus’s voice froze Logan in his tracks. The light side spun around, finding Remus blocking his escape route. Almost out of habit, Logan’s face flushed. “Oohhh. What do we have here?” Remus grinned, leaning down to get closer to Logan’s face. “What’s up, Logic? Long time no see~” 

Logan sputtered, leaning backwards, “There is nothing ‘up.’ Nothing at all. I-it doesn’t concern you-” Logan swallowed his words as Remus’s fingers stroked his chin.

“Oh? Well…” Remus grinned, hand moving down to grasp Logan’s tie. “I’m into you, like, a _fuckton_.” He laughed and tugged on the silken material, pulling Logan closer to his face. “So whatever concerns  _ you _ …” He tilted his head to the side, whispering into Logan’s ear, “...concerns  _ me _ , too.” 

Logan gasped, scolding himself internally as he realized the Duke had turned him into jelly again. “N-no! It most certainly does  _ not _ .” Logan slapped Remus’s hand away, and tried to walk past him. Remus giggled, moving to block Logan’s path. Logan sighed heavily. “Move. I have something important I need to attend to.”

Remus stuck his tongue out, shaking his head, “No,” He punctuated with a wink.

“Ugh!” Logan growled in annoyance, trying again to slip by Remus. When he failed again, he threw his hands up in the air. “Is  _ anything  _ normal in this godforsaken mindsca-” Logan cut himself off. He eyed the door, Remus, then Virgil and Patton behind him. He looked down. 

Virgil realized too late what was happening, “Remus-!” But before either dark side could do anything further, Logan sank downward, out of the mindscape and into the real world. Virgil groaned. “Crap.” 

Patton looked at the spot where Logan had disappeared. “I thought we couldn’t sink out this far into the mindscape?” 

Virgil nodded, looking up at Remus, “We can’t.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank y'all so much for reading, it really means a lot to me. Please leave a comment if you have enjoyed everything so far, I read every single one. As always, y'all take care of yourselves, okay?


	13. Tension

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey again everyone! We're back to Roman and Janus for this one. If descriptions of making out make you uncomfortable I might skip this chapter. Updates should come soon, this fic will most likely be done before the new year! Hope y'all enjoy.

Janus lunged at Roman, his blade glinting in the midday sun. Roman dodged, parrying with his own sword as they danced around each other in the fighting ring. 

"Who could've guessed that you don't just carry that around to look the part?" Janus swung his blade in a high arc as he spoke, one hand behind his back. 

Roman grinned as he ducked underneath Janus's rapier, "Well _ someone _ has to protect the imagination from foul creatures." Roman jumped out of the way when Janus switched his point of attack, the dark side reversing his grip on his sword to swing from the other side. "The real question we should be asking is when did  _ you  _ become so skillful at fighting blindfolded?"

Janus chuckled, his fangs reflecting the dappled sunlight that sifted through the trees overhead, "This hasn’t been my first dance in the imagination." This time, Janus rolled out of the way as Roman swung from above. His sword bounced off the ground, kicking up dust as the prince dragged it right back into another swing. "You're not the only one who has a duty to protect Thomas's dreams and aspirations." Janus parried the attack, twisting his own blade in a small circle in an attempt to disarm Roman. 

Roman sucked in a small breath as his sword was flung to the far side of the arena. "I didn't know you did that." 

Janus's eyes glinted from behind the blindfold as he pointed his rapier at Roman's heart, moving to block him from running to his sword. "I don't tell you everything." Janus's sword flicked up to Roman's neck. "A side has got to keep _some_ secrets, after all." He chuckled, and if it weren't for the blindfold, Roman would have thought that Janus had him under his spell again. He found himself staring at Janus's face, his jawline and his scales. A few curls of dark brown hair strayed from under his wide hat, sitting perfectly on top of his blindfold as if they were placed there. "Something wrong, _your_ _Highness_?" 

Roman shook his head as he realized his cheeks were ablaze. "N-no! I was simply coming up with a plan of attack!" Roman lunged forward, dodging Janus's rapier and catching the dark side in the stomach. They fell into a heap on the ground as his sword slipped out of his gloved hand. Roman laughed heartily as Janus huffed in annoyance. He adjusted himself as gingerly as possible, trying to get up without putting his weight on Janus. Roman put his hands on either side of Janus's head, and lifted himself up. 

When he looked down at his opponent, his face flushed as he realized what position they were in. Janus, too, seemed to be affected, for the half of his face without scales had gone pink. Despite the awkwardness of their position, Roman paused to stare again at his face. Janus seemed to breathe in to say something, but no sound came out of his parted lips. Without even thinking about it, Roman's hand moved to Janus's scaled cheek.

_ This  _ finally seemed to break Janus out of his speechless stupor as he jumped at the touch. "Roman-" Roman felt aflutter with suspense and anticipation.  _ Something _ was finally happening. They were getting somewhere after all the tension. He squinted in determination,  _ no way _ was this chance going to pass by. Roman's supporting arm bent, lowering himself as his eyes drifted to Janus's lips. 

Janus's hand shot up, putting pressure on Roman's shoulder to stop him from getting closer. "Stop." Roman immediately froze his approach, confused. Was this not right? Was this not what he wanted?

Janus swallowed. "Not like this. Not the way that I am. Please."

Roman stared at the blindfold separating them. "But- I thought-" Janus pushed him harder, and Roman sat up. "I thought we were…"

"You thought wrong, Roman." Janus's voice broke. "Just like you thought that  _ this _ whole thing would make me feel better." He stood up, spinning slowly to gesture to the ring around them. 

Roman got to his feet. "You said yourself you needed a distraction- something to get your anger out!"

"Well I'm sorry that I'm still a little worried about my  _ situation _ , here." Janus pointed at his face sloppily, "Your best magic users could do nothing to help me. And now, now you decide that you want to  _ kiss _ me, like it's going to make it all better."

Roman sputtered as his face heated, "Well- so what if I do?! I know a moment when I feel it!" 

"Be honest with yourself, Roman." Janus spit out his words, his hands stiff at his sides. "You only think you're in love with me because this fucking curse is messing with your head. You don't actually want me. I'm hideous and I'm a dark side and I'm manipulating you and-... and-!" Janus cut himself off. His voice caught on something rising in his throat as his chest shuddered.  _ Wait _ . Janus felt his whole train of thought stop as he realized what he was actually saying.  _ Fuck _ .

The seconds passed as Roman stood silent, and Janus's breath faltered again as he tried to draw it in. He screwed his eyes shut as he realized his blindfold was damp.  _ Stop. This isn't part of the plan _ . 

Roman shifted, grabbing Janus's hands as he spoke with a feather-like, quiet, softness. "I **_am_** romance, Janus. It's woven inside of me. I understand and sense things that no other side can." He moved closer, slowly, carefully, as if Janus would shatter if he moved too fast. "And I can't help but feel… I can't help but know..." He moved one of his hands to Janus's face, "... there's something _real_ here, for you."

Janus stood frozen. This wasn't supposed to happen this way. He was supposed to be acting! It wasn't supposed to be this real. There were more scenes to play out. More opportunities that now seemed… somewhat unrealistic. The moment dragged on as his brain worked it over a million times. Was he really contemplating messing up everything… for this? What if the others weren’t ready? What if  _ he  _ wasn’t ready? Janus felt an invigorating fluttering in his chest, and a heartbeat that sped up much faster than it should be. Was he really falling for this idiot? 

Janus felt his mind go quiet as he looked at Roman. His sandy hair fluttered loosely in the wind, but his deep, brown eyes were earnest. Janus stared at his freckles, barely visible from the way the light was now filtering through the trees onto Roman's face. His cheekbones were almost diamond-like the way they sparkled in the sun, highlighting his tanned skin. Janus's eyes kept finding prettier and prettier features that made the creative side more beautiful to him than ever before. Janus swallowed. He wasn't  _ in the process _ of falling for Roman. It had already been done.

There was no plan now. 

_ Fuck it then. _ Janus grabbed Roman by his face, forcefully pulling him downward to take his lips. Roman let out a surprised noise as they met, his body going stiff. Janus made a sound of disapproval at the action as his hands shifted to be behind Roman's head and neck, pulling him even closer than before. Roman felt faint as Janus physically pushed Roman backwards until he was against one of the fence posts. 

Roman leaned down to try and take the lead but Janus grabbed his hair, twisting it to keep him thoroughly in place. Roman gasped and Janus used the opportunity to slip his tongue into Roman's mouth, practically attacking his face with a desperate greed Roman had never seen from him before. Roman felt the sharpness of Janus's fangs as he bit down lightly on Roman's lips.  Roman stiffened as tiny pinpricks of blood escaped the small wounds. This seemed to set Janus off as he hissed, practically reptilian, and bit down again. Roman yelped this time, hands springing up to grip Janus's face in a combination of fear and embarrassment. The dark side laughed through it, pushing Roman further into the fencepost as he deepened the kiss again. The light side practically saw stars as his oxygen ran low, but Janus didn't seem to feel the effects or care.

Just as Roman thought he was about to pass out, he relented. Janus leaned back, breathing heavily as his eyes glanced over Roman’s face, neck, and tousled hair. He felt satisfaction overcome him at the sight. Roman could only regain his breath and stare as the panic took hold of his vocal cords and thoughts, leaving him speechless. 

"Well?" Janus sounded earnest. 

Roman nodded his head, mouth agape. "I...um…" All Roman could do was remember the feeling of Janus's hands in his hair, the taste of his lips. "Wow. Uh…" He put a palm to his cheek and felt the heat transfer to his hand while he screamed internally. 

Janus frowned, arms crossing over his chest. "You can just say you didn't like it. You don't have to spare me." 

Roman practically jumped, shaking his head violently. "No! No, I liked it- loved it! Believe me." He scratched the back of his head, eyes avoiding Janus's face as much as possible. "It's just…" Roman looked up at the sky, trying to get his words out without making a fool of himself, "I didn't think you would be so… good at this." He laughed awkwardly as his brain unhelpfully supplied the memories all over again.

Janus sighed in relief, then tried to cover it up, "L-like I said, I don't tell you everything."

Roman shook his head sternly, brushing his knuckles against Janus's cheek. "You know you don't have to hide from me, right?" Janus's mouth opened, but no sound came out. He looked down at Roman's tunic, avoiding eye-contact.

Then he gave the smallest of nods as he looked back up again. "I… I know." Roman pursed his lips. He tried to look through the blindfold, to see what Janus was really thinking. But then something odd started happening. Roman watched as a dark purple mist started falling out of the blindfold, then it swirled around Janus’s face and into his mouth as he took a sharp breath. 

Roman tried to wave the mist away with his hand, but Janus grabbed his wrist. "...What's happening?!" 

"I… the curse… I think it's breaking." Janus exhaled, blowing the mist out of his mouth. The dragon witch warned him the curse would break once they kissed- something to seal the deal. Janus had forgotten it in his extreme need to kiss the light side  _ immediately _ . Roman gasped quietly as he saw that the fangs in Janus's mouth had morphed back into his regular- albeit still pointed- teeth. As he watched, the extra scales melted away. Finally, the mist stopped billowing from the blindfold. With bated breath, Roman reached behind Janus's head to untie it.

He closed his eyes in anticipation, before pulling the silk off of Janus's face. He opened one eye, then the other as Janus chuckled.

"Feel bewitched, Roman?" Roman breathed out a sigh of relief as he saw Janus's dark brown eye glinting in the dappled shade.

Roman grinned as he hooked the blindfold around Janus's neck. "Yes, actually." He tugged on the blindfold, bringing them a hair's width apart. He stared down at Janus's face, examining it. "You seem to have that effect with or without the curse."

Janus rested his arms around Roman's neck, tilting his head humorously. "Hmm. Is that so, your Highness? Well then, I think we ought to test that."

"Agreed." Roman gave the blindfold one last pull and felt Janus's chuckle as their lips met again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's 2/3 done! Can Logan be swayed before he gets to Thomas? I guess you'll just have to wait and see. 
> 
> Little note: The past few months it seems I've been infected with MCYT brainrot. ((But that's happened to most of the internet, hasn't it?)) Would y'all want to see some MCYT content, shipping, angst, or otherwise? DreamSMP perhaps? Let me know in a comment if that would interest any of you. 
> 
> If you don't care for MCYT, please tell me your predictions for the next chapter!
> 
> Thank you so much for reading, and I hope you have a lovely week. <3


	14. Roughhousing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again! Hope you all enjoy. Little bit spicy, this one is. Meant to post this before new year's but frankly got sidetracked by some other WIPs of mine. Thanks for reading!

The first thing Logan felt was nausea- definitely not something a side is supposed to feel when sinking out of the mindscape. The second thing Logan sensed was a drop in his stomach as if he were falling through the air upside-down. Thirdly, Logan felt the unforgiving harshness of the pavement as he landed headfirst into the sidewalk next to where Thomas was walking. 

“Oh my gosh! Logan!-” Thomas screwed his mouth shut, looking around as people were staring at him. He felt his face turn bright red in embarrassment. He glanced around, spotting a bench and sitting on it. He took out his phone, but only pretended to look at it as he watched his Logical side pick himself up from the ground. He whispered loudly, “Are you ok?! What happened??!” 

Logan shook his head, trying to blink the dizziness away. “I sank out… in an unwise fashion.” 

Thomas gestured for Logan to sit next to him. “What?”

Logan obliged, taking off his glasses to rub his temple, where a dull headache had spawned. “We can only sink out in places that are… closer to the forefront of your mindscape.” He placed his glasses back on his face. “I was down the hall and around the corner at the time of departure.”

“Around the corner?? Why didn’t you get closer first?” Thomas looked on in worry as Logan blinked multiple times.

“I was… blocked.” Logan turned away from Thomas to hide his face, “I-in any matter, we would like to speak to you when you return home.”

Thomas let his surprise show, “Oh? Is there something wrong?”

“Yes-” The light side rushed to correct himself, “I-I mean- No.” Logan sighed, letting his face fall in his hands, “The situation is…  _ unclear... _ at the moment.”

Thomas stared at Logan for a good while, before putting his phone away and standing up, “Ok. I’m almost home now. I’ll call you when I’m ready.” 

Logan nodded once, “Thank you. I’ll be waiting.” He stood, then sank out of the real world and back into the mindscape. He paused when he was greeted with the darkness of his room. He flicked his fingers in the general direction of his desk lamp, but the light didn’t turn on. He  _ tsked _ . His powers were momentarily weakened. Must have been a side effect of sinking out in Virgil’s room. The light side strode to his desk, but before he could reach the lamp he felt a pair of hands snatch his waist and pull him onto the lap of someone sitting in his desk chair.

“Where were you?” Remus’s breath tickled Logan’s ear as his eyes widened. The dark side shifted, keeping one hand around Logan’s waist while bringing the other up to hold his shoulders. “Snitching to Thomas, huh? That wasn’t very nice of you~”

Logan struggled against Remus’s grip, he felt as if his ears were aflame. “I simply- I simply want to keep Thomas r-running smoothly.” 

Remus nuzzled his face into Logan’s hair, “What’s wrong with us? Will Thomas  **explode** if we start talking?”

Logan huffed, “No!”

“Then why haven’t you told  _ him  _ that?!” Remus spoke tersely. “I’ve got  _ plenty  _ of ideas you know, good ones! But he shoots me down every time like those hunters did with Bambi’s mom!”

Logan tried to gain leverage, getting more and more frustrated as he spoke, “I will admit there have been some equality issues in the past. But attempting to  _ seduce  _ me is  **not** the correct way to get to Thomas.” His voice was steadily rising in pitch, his movements becoming more desperate. “You cannot just play with my feelings this way and use them to further your own agenda! I.. I refuse!” Logan threw his head back, intending to hit Remus, but accidentally bumped his own injury instead. Logan yelped as a shockwave of pain spread throughout his head and reverberated behind his temple. His movements stopped as he tried to force out the pain with gritted teeth.

“What happened to you, Logan?” Remus’s voice was uncharacteristically quiet. Logan stilled as a dim light filled the room, seemingly with no source. Remus took his arm from its place around Logan’s shoulders and carefully brushed Logan’s hair aside. The light side breathed in sharply as Remus’s fingers touched the large bump on Logan’s skull. “Who did this to you?” His tone was gentle. But Logan could sense crackling, burning anger beneath the surface. “I’ll kill them.” Logan shivered as the dark side’s quiet, deceptively calm voice gave way to a growl.

Logan swallowed, “I-it was an accident. I… fell.” 

“You fell.” It wasn’t a question. It was a statement. Logan felt like his voice wouldn’t have cooperated, so he nodded instead. Remus paused. “...This’ll definitely hurt.” Logan only had a fleeting moment to react before Remus’s entire hand clasped his head. A shooting pain spread from his fingertips until it surrounded Logan’s skull. But the pain was quickly replaced by a warm tingly feeling that centered around Logan’s injury. The tingles gave way to more warmth and Logan suddenly found that he was no longer in pain. “Better?” 

Logan breathed out in relief, “Yes. Thank you, Remus.” Logan took advantage of the moment to try and get away but Remus’s hand tightened around Logan’s hair. Logan grunted as Remus pulled him back so that their faces were next to each other. The light side’s eyes shifted to try and meet Remus’s gaze. Remus’s irises were wild, deep with humor and, conversely, a murderous seriousness that made Logan’s breath leave his lungs.

“I’m not playing with you.” Logan felt the rumble of Remus’s chest as he growled, “I’ve had my eye on that heart of yours for a while.” He pulled Logan’s head to the side, exposing his neck. The dark side wedged his face into the space, breathing in deeply. “I really want you, Logan. Not because I want Thomas to listen to me. But because you’re hot, hotter than the sun when it explodes and burns all life away.” Remus giggled at the thought. He leaned back, grinning as he stared at the position that the light side was in. “...Won’t you be mine, Logan?”

Logan was dumbfounded. Both because of the way Remus was holding him and at what he had said. He let his thoughts run, trying to pierce Remus’s words and make sense of them. Surely he was lying, Logan thought. But the idea was struck down almost as quickly as he thought it up. Remus had no filter… he rarely lied, if ever. Logan thought about Roman and Patton. It was clear that Patton had  _ wanted _ to be in Virgil’s room. He refused to leave, despite all the chances Logan gave him.

And Roman- Roman was clearly seeing the only other dark side possible: Janus. He seemed to be overjoyed to meet Janus in the imagination. He had spent full days there, only arriving back in the mindscape at a late hour of the night. Perhaps the dark sides were never “up to something” like he had assumed. Maybe they were simply... infatuated… like Remus was. Logan felt Remus’s hand tighten around his waist, breaking him out of his thoughts. The movement was almost nervous, something very uncharacteristic of Remus.

Logan finished his thinking. He met Remus’s eyes, cursing as he felt his ears burn hotter. He brought his hand up, taking Remus’s wrist and pulling his hand out of his hair. Logan twisted in Remus’s lap, face fiery as he faced him. He studied Remus for any sign that he was being untruthful. Logan nodded and breathed out slowly. 

“I’m yours then.” Logan watched in amusement as Remus’s eyes lit up like a leprechaun would for gold. Logan's amusement, however, blinked out of existence as Remus jumped into the air, bringing Logan with him. He twirled Logan around, whooping and laughing almost maniacally. With one arm, he shifted the light side over his shoulder and started hoisting him around the room like a sack of potatoes, almost dancing. Logan yelped as Remus did one final spin before dumping him onto the bed and jumping on top of him, nuzzling his face into Logan’s neck. His giggles began to subside as he pulled back and stared down at the light side’s face.

“Oh. Hey teach.” Remus smiled as Logan groaned. He leaned down and Logan stilled, suspecting the moment had finally come. But Remus only pecked Logan’s nose before going back to nuzzling his neck. Logan, incredulous, couldn’t stop himself from scoffing. Remus picked himself back up again, tilting his head to the side. “What’s up?”

Logan blinked as his eyebrows furrowed. “Was that  _ it _ ??”

“Was what it?”

The light side gaped, “The kiss?! I thought you were going to kiss me!”

“Oh!” Remus chuckled like he was kicking himself. “My apologies, Logie-Poo.” He leaned down again, his hand moving to cradle Logan’s neck as they finally collided. Logan inhaled in surprise. Contrary to what he had assumed, Remus’s lips were soft and gentle as they shifted together. Logan closed his eyes as they moved to an unspoken rhythm, his breaths coming in shallow through his nose. 

Remus pulled away too soon. 

Logan looked up at him, eyes low as Remus seemed to come closer again. Only, Remus didn’t kiss him. He went right back to head-butting Logan’s neck! 

“Is that all you’re going to do??!” Logan tracked Remus with his eyes as he stopped burrowing into him and sat up again.

“I thought you said you wanted a kiss.” Remus’s tone was  _ almost _ steady. Logan was too distracted and annoyed to care about that information. "I gave you one."

Logan stuttered, "B-but I thought you would be-" He was embarrassed to continue the sentence. "-I-I just assumed you would…" Logan trailed off as a cheshire grin crept onto Remus's face. Logan realized too late that he had been played.

Remus laughed. "I knew you were faking it." His hand reached out quickly and gripped Logan's chin in a tight grip. Logan grunted, tilting his head back. "You liked it the whole time, _didn't_ _you_?" He pulled Logan towards him by his chin, their faces so close Logan could feel the movement of Remus's lips as he talked. "You _like_ it when I'm rough, Logan." Remus looked down at Logan's lips, then met his eyes again. "It's okay, doll. You can admit it." He let Logan go and Logan's head fell back onto the comforter indecently.

Logan's face couldn't have been more red as he stared up at Remus. He kicked himself for falling into the trap and giving him the information he wanted. There was no salvaging Logan's dignity now. Remus's smile only widened. Logan could have sworn that the dark side was a mind reader. Logan swallowed down his voice crack, trying to look anywhere but Remus. "D-do it then."

"Do  _ what _ ?" Remus tilted his head to the side. "Use your words pretty boy. I don't know what you want~" Logan opened his mouth to speak, still avoiding Remus's gaze. "Make sure you're specific." The light side closed his mouth at Remus's lilt.

Logan gritted his teeth and his heart outpaced his dignity as he locked eyes with the leering dark side. "I would like you to be rough with me, Remus."

A fire burst to life in Remus's eyes as he snatched a fistful of Logan's hair and yanked his head to the side. Logan hissed in surprise and pain. Remus kept eye contact as he neared his neck again. "You should have just  _ said _ so~" 

Logan swallowed, eyes widening as the movement made Remus's teeth graze his throat. _Oh_ , Logan panicked as the full extent of his gayness caught up with him. 

_ Maybe _ he was biting off more than he could chew. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The gang's all together, now. But what will Thomas do and how in the world are they gonna explain *this?* Leave your predictions in the comments and let me know how you liked this chapter! I read every single one.


	15. Social Anxiety

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again all. Been a little preoccupied with some of my other wips at the moment. I have streamer brainrot and it doesn't look like I'll be recovering very soon. :') But hey, at least that means new content coming out soon for those of you who are fans of that type of thing. Enjoy the chapter, the ending is coming fast!

Roman felt it in the pit of his stomach as Janus pulled away from their kiss. Thomas was calling. He pushed lightly on Janus's tunic to make him step back.

The dark side looked up at him, poorly hiding the fear in his eyes, "What happened?" 

Roman took Janus by his waist and lifted him over the fence before vaulting over it himself. "Thomas is calling. I think Logan got wise to our… uh,  _ dramatics _ ." He grinned at the blush that spread over Janus's cheeks at his show of strength. Roman took his hand and kissed his knuckles. "Fear not, my fairest! I'm sure we'll come up with something!" Then, Roman turned and started running towards the castle, Janus's hand firmly in his grip.

Janus felt a shockwave from Roman's lips go into his hand and up his arm, making it go numb. If his face hadn't been red before, it certainly was now. Janus shook himself out of his lovesick haze and shot back into his cold, hard reality. He messed everything up. There was no way the others were ready yet. A few moments of selfishness had cost him a lifetime of struggling with Thomas.

Janus's eyes refocused, moving down to look at their intertwined fingers. He glanced back up at Roman's face, which had a determined look set upon those pretty features of his. His hair was wildy sticking out in every conceivable direction, courtesy of Janus's hands only minutes before. Roman was still mildly sweaty from the sword fight, and sprinting uphill in the midday sun was not helping. Janus watched as a bead of sweat fell from Roman's hairline and down the side of his face.

Janus realized that maybe Thomas's opinion didn't matter anymore. 

He quickly averted his eyes from Roman as the thought passed his mind. What would Virgil and Remus think of him?! He would be abandoning them if he quit now. Janus tried to look straight ahead but Roman in his peripheral was too distracting. 

He needed to find a way to make peace with Thomas. But he _ had to have Roman _ . Janus steeled himself as the pair of them entered the coolness of the castle. 

He'd have to find a way to get both.

Roman pulled him up two flights of stairs and down several hallways before they made it to his bedchambers. He leapt through the mirror and Janus found himself in Roman's room. He could barely orient himself before, suddenly,

"Roman! Where have you been?!" Roman jumped, swiveling on his heel to look where the voice had come from. Patton's eyes looked like they could spill over any moment, his voice shaky, "Th-Thomas is calling and, and I don't know what to tell him, and, and, and-" 

"Patton." Both Janus and Roman jumped this time. Patton had taken too much of their attention, they hadn't even seen Virgil next to him on the bed. Patton turned to Virgil, swallowing as his lip trembled. Virgil suddenly felt very  _ watched _ as he placed a hand on the back of Patton's curly hair. He rested his forehead against Patton's, trying to block out the feeling of two pairs of eyes on him. "Th-this'll turn out ok. We'll be o-ok. I promised, right?" 

Janus could have laughed at the sorry excuse for comforting, but was too relieved at the sight before him. Virgil did it in time. Maybe Remus had, too?

Patton let out a quiet, "...Promised," and breathed in a shaky breath. 

Janus looked to his left to look at Roman and barely stopped himself from barking out a laugh. Roman eyes were the widest he’d ever seen them and his mouth was catching flies. Roman’s pointer finger seemed to raise of its own accord while his other hand went to his head.

“You- Patton-” His finger moved to point at the dark side, “Virgil- what?!” Patton’s face flushed as he ducked his head into Virgil’s shoulder. Virgil gulped, looking in between Roman and Janus worriedly. Roman gasped. “You two are together??!” The three other sides winced at the volume of Roman’s voice as Virgil laughed awkwardly.

“Uh… yes?” It was more of a question, the way he said it, but Roman took it as confirmation anyway. 

“Zeus’s beard!” Roman spun to look at Janus, “What are we gonna tell Thomas?!”

Patton pulled himself off of Virgil’s shoulder as Janus answered, worry seeping into his voice, “I don’t know… I haven’t thought that far ahead yet.” Truthfully, Janus had been too preoccupied staring at Roman and panicking about the others to think of a solution to their problem.

Patton looked at Virgil, then back at Roman, “So… you’re not… mad?”

Roman’s eyebrows furrowed, “Mad? Why would I be mad?” 

Patton looked down at the floor, adjusting his sweater so he could occupy his nervous fingers, “I- I mean, Logan said we weren’t supposed to be with the dark sides, so…” He trailed off as he glanced up at Roman’s expression.

The prince laughed heartily, taking Janus’s hand as he did so, “Well he’ll be surprised! That’s for sure.” Patton’s eyes widened at the gesture.

“No way,” He gasped, “Roman! Oh I knew you were acting funny!” He jumped forward and clung onto Roman’s shoulders, swaying back and forth excitedly. “I can’t believe I didn’t notice!”

Roman’s chuckles were muffled slightly by Patton's unruly hair as he answered, “Oh, this is relatively new-” He wanted to punctuate it by sliding Janus a wink, but he frowned as he felt the tug in the pit of his stomach again. Patton felt it too, pulling away with a worried look in his eyes. 

“What are we gonna do?” Patton looked around the room for support but found that everyone seemed to share the same deer-in-the-headlights expression he was currently wearing. 

Janus cleared his throat, “We have no time. The longer you keep Thomas waiting, the worse this will be. I suggest you two get down there and see where Logan takes the conversation.” Janus pointedly glared at Roman, “And don’t get mad. You get stupid when you’re mad.”

Roman barely had any time to sputter in indignation before Patton stepped forward and took both of Janus’s hands in his own, squeezing them for a moment, “Thank you. We’ll do our best.” He turned to look at Virgil, flashing him a smile before sinking out. Roman followed shortly, crossing his arms over his chest huffing and muttering something along the lines of-  **_I_ ** _ don’t get mad- princes don’t get mad- I’ll show  _ **_you_ ** _ mad- _ before he sank out into the real world.

Virgil sighed in an unfortunate mixture of relief and anxiety, flopping onto the bed. His hands were tangled in his hair, pulling steadily as he attempted to calm his nerves. Janus sat on the edge of the mattress, eyes vaguely processing the decorations of Roman’s soft-lit room. 

“He’s perfect.” Janus’s gaze flicked over to see Virgil covering his eyes with his arm. “It was so much better than I could’ve imagined. Patton-” Virgil sucked in a breath as if the name alone were clutching at his beating heart, “I- I can’t-” His arm slid back over his face and onto the comforter behind his head, his eyes locking with Janus’s, “I don’t know if we can go back to normal after this. I won’t lose him. I don’t care if Thomas hates me.” Janus only nodded. Chest tightening as he realized he’d had the same thoughts only minutes before. He’d already decided that the plan was done. To him, there wasn’t anything left to do anymore. He’d gotten what he wanted. 

In Janus’s mind's eye, he felt Roman’s breath mixing with his own, felt the laughter bubbling up at the light side’s shock. He thought of Roman’s tan skin, his wavy hair that got all messed up once he’d run his hands through it. Janus dragged a breath through his nose and the silence dragged on for a few moments before he caved. 

“What has Remus been up to?”

Virgil managed to shrug despite his position on his back, “He was getting closer. Told me Logan was getting pretty worked up about everything, tried to find out what we were doing.” Janus nodded in acknowledgement. Roman let slip as much. “He went to wait in Logan’s room just in case he went back there.” Virgil’s lungs struggled to take in air as his anxiety restricted his throat. “S-so there’s still hope.”

Janus chuckled with a sort of half-optimistic grimness. “Hope.” Hoping was all they’d been doing. They’d wished for a chance with Thomas their entire existence. Now it was all so close- and they might have messed it up completely. Janus ran through his plan again in his head. Maybe if he’d prioritized Logan the most, they wouldn’t be in this constricting situation. Perhaps he shouldn’t have rushed it with Roman with all of his poor judgement and gay impulses. He closed his eyes, shaking his head to try and clear the negative thoughts. It was done. Now they were relying on the Light sides not to fuck everything up.

His eyes shot open in realization, causing Virgil to turn to look at him at the spike in anxiety. 

Oh god. The Light sides.

Janus groaned as he turned to meet Virgil’s gaze, “I just realized we have two idiots advocating for us down there with the combined intellectual capacity of a single spoonful of cream cheese.” 

Virgil could have burst into tears on the spot.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading of course. I hope you are excited about the possibility of MCYT fics! Leave a comment and tell me how you liked it or what specific CCs you'd like to see. Take care of yourselves, now. <3


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